A Different Path
by Dragonsrule18
Summary: Collaboration fic between CharmedMilliE and Dragonsrule18. When Ash and Pikachu meet for the first time, a strange mental link forms between them. With the help of the link, new friends, and new Pokémon, a different journey begins. Smarter Ash.
1. Chapter 1

A Different Path

**Disclaimer: We do not own pokemon**

**AN: This is a co written story between CharmedMilliE and Dragonsrule18. First chapter is CharmedMilliE's, second is mine, and so on.**

Chapter 1: "Pokemon, I Choose You" and "Pokemon Emergency"

In a small room in Pallet Town, a young boy by the name of Ash Ketchum slept in his room. He had stayed up late the night before, excited about getting his first pokemon. As he slept, his alarm clock fell into his hand and then was promptly thrown into the wall, shattering into tiny pieces. When he was finally woken by the sounds of Pidgey chirping outside, he realized he was late.

Ash tore off his pajamas in a hurry, putting on his normal outfit and racing out the door. "Bulbasaur, Charmander, Squirtle, I don't care. Just save one for me!" Ash yelled, running the familiar path to Professor Oak's Pokémon Laboratory.

As a child he had always had a love of Pokémon and the Oak Lab was the only place in town to see them. Professor Oak had let him play there as a child and a few years ago, Oak had given him a job helping out on the ranch. It was mostly small jobs like feeding the pokemon, but it definitely gave Ash a feel for what it would be like to raise and care for his own Pokémon.

When he got to the lab his childhood friend, now ex-friend, Gary Oak, was walking out. "Well Ash, better late then never I guess," Gary said. "You're way behind from the start. I already got my first Pokémon." The cheerleaders behind Garry cheered.

"Which did you get?" Ash asked curious.

"That's for me to know and you to find out," Gary jeered. "If you were here on time you'd know I got the best one and he's right here in this Poké Ball." Gary held out a Poké Ball and smiled. Gary then addressed the crowd of cheering Cheerleaders. "Thank you for coming. I, Gary Oak, will now go and show the world Pallet Town is the best."

Gary hopped into the back of the car with his cheerleaders who were still cheering, "Gary, Gary, he's the best." They were still cheering when the car drove off and everyone else left.

"Can you be more obnoxious?" Ash asked himself out loud, not thinking anyone else was there.

"That is my grandson, Ash," he heard Professor Oak's voice say and he turned around, but Oak smiled. "Although that was a little over the top." Ash let out a breath he didn't realize he was holding. "So you finally showed up."

"I'm sorry, but my alarm clock broke in the middle of the night and I overslept. Are there any starters left?" Ash asked.

"I'm sorry my boy, but all the three normal starters were taken," Oak said and saw Ash's face fall. "But I do have one pokemon on me I can give to you."

"Really?" Ash asked.

"Yes, when the three starters go, I usually go out and help the new trainer catch their own starter or contact my fellow professors to see if they have any spares, but I found this guy today, chewing on the electric wires. For some reason, I thought of you when I caught him. Come in." Oak said leading Ash into the lab.

Removing a Poké Ball from a hidden compartment, Oak released a small yellow rat Pokémon that Ash had never seen before. Ash got down on his knees and held out his hand, touching the Pokémon's head lightly. At that moment a weird feeling came over Ash.

_"What was that?" _a voice said mimicking Ash's own thoughts.

"He's name is Pikachu. He is an electric type," Oak said with a smile, completely oblivious to the weird happenings.

_"Yeah, I am Pikachu and don't you dare put me in that ball again, old man." _Ash heard the voice again and was shocked to find out that that it was Pikachu. It was coming from his mind though. What the heck was going on here? Oak went to return Pikachu to his ball, but Ash got in the way.

"I think I will keep him out for a while," Ash said. "So we can bond better."

"Good idea, my boy," Oak approved, giving Ash Pikachu's Poké Ball, which Ash put on his belt.

_"This human is better." _Pikachu said.

"Thanks," Ash mumbled making Pikachu give him a look.

Oak went and got a red Pokédex and five Poké Balls. "Your Pokédex and some Poké Balls to start you off with. You're all signed up for the pokemon league, so I suggest you head for Pewter City and the gym there. It is a Rock type gym so you might want to try to catch a water type."

"Thank you professor," Ash told him. "Pikachu, come on. Let's go outside."

_"Good, then I can try to run." _Pikachu muttered, not knowing that Ash could hear him.

"You don't want to run from me, right Pikachu?" Ash asked and Pikachu paused.

_"Can you hear me?" _Pikachu asked and Ash nodded. _"But how? What? Can you understand all Pokémon? Wait, I am thinking, not talking. So somehow you can hear my thoughts. How? When? Why? And you're not going to answer me at all while another human is around, are you?"_

Ash nodded, so Pikachu agreed to not run and followed him outside where his mom and a small group of people were waiting. His mom handed him his bag, all packed with everything she wanted him to have, some things Ash had bought ahead of time to prepare for his journey, and some extra money.

After everything was over, including an embarrassing moment where his mom reminded him to change his underwear everyday, the two walked over to Route One. _"Now will you answer my question? How can you hear me?" _Pikachu asked.

"I don't know. We touched, I got a weird feeling, and now I can hear you," Ash said, just as confused as Pikachu was. How could he hear a Pokémon's thoughts?

"_That's what happened here. Can you hear all my thoughts or just ones I direct at you?" _Pikachu questioned, and then there was silence for a second. _"Did you hear that?"_

"I don't think so. How am I supposed to know if I hear something or not?" Ash asked.

_"I am going to assume you did not hear it." _Pikachu said.

"Now that that's over, will you be my partner?" Ash asked and Pikachu thought it over.

_"I do not want to go back into the round jail," _Pikachu asserted and Ash nodded. _"And I am not your slave."_

"Of course not. How about being my friend?" Ash asked and Pikachu was quiet for a few minutes, thinking about Ash's words. Both the boy's words and the strange mental bond or whatever it was they now shared indicated that he was sincere, and though Pikachu had never trusted humans before, there was something he liked about this one.

_"Okay," _Pikachu said, jumping onto Ash's shoulder. _"So what do you want to do, friend?" _

"Call me Ash," Ash told him, checking out Pikachu's moves on his Pokédex. Pikachu knew Thundershock and Quick Attack at the moment. He had the egg move Volt Tackle but was not able to use it yet. "Do you have a name?"

_"You can just call me Pikachu." _Pikachu told Ash, who nodded.

"Okay so I want to catch a water type. There is a river down that way that we can go fishing in." Ash said, pointing and walking towards the water.

When he got there, he saw a red-headed girl sitting there fishing. A bike was leaning against a tree not far off. There was a white Pokémon out next to her that Ash's Pokédex told him was a Seel. "Did you just catch that Seel?" Ash asked as he walked up.

"No, but I caught a Goldeen." the girl said.

"Nice," Ash said. "I'm Ash Ketchum; this is Pikachu." Ash added.

"I'm Misty," she replied.

"Well Misty, do you mind if I fish here too? I'm hoping to catch a water type," Ash said and Misty nodded and held out her hand. Ash smiled and shook it.

"Just don't make too much noise. We don't want to scare the fish away." Misty added as Ash put down his bag and took out his fishing pole. It was a cheap one that the Pallet Town store sold. There were more expensive ones that water trainers usually got.

"Do you do this a lot?" Ash asked as he threw his line into the water.

"I want to be a Water Pokémon master." Misty said as she got a tug on her line and pulled it up to see a Goldeen on it. Since she already had one, she released the Goldeen back into the water. "I've been fishing since I was a kid."

"That's cool." Ash replied. "Any tips on how to catch a water Pokémon?"

"When you feel a tug, pull it up fast, but not too fast. You don't want to lose it by going to slow, but you don't want to scare it by going to fast. You have to find just the right pull," Misty advised.

Ash nodded and the two sat waiting in silence until Ash felt a tug on his line. Ash, remembering what Misty said, tried not to go too fast. When he pulled the line up, a Poliwag came out. Ash, in his excitement, took out a Poké Ball and just threw it right at the Poliwag. The ball broke open right away and the Poliwag jumped back into the water.

Misty was giggling from the side as she saw Ash's failure. "You just got that Pikachu, huh?" Misty asked and Ash nodded. "You have to battle the pokemon first and weaken it before you can catch it. Also when fishing, you have to make sure the Pokémon doesn't get back into the water."

Ash nodded, taking in Misty's words as he threw his line back into the water. It was a while without even a nibble until Ash finally felt a tug again. Ash pulled the pokemon in and a Shellder popped up out of the water.

"Pikachu," Ash said making sure not to make the same mistake twice. "In-between Shellder and the water."

_"Okay." _Pikachu said jumping up from his sleeping position and getting between Shellder and the water.

"Thundershock." Ash said and Pikachu cheeks sparked as he let out a Thundershock. Shellder closed its shell and after the Thundershock was over, opened it back up to show she was unharmed.

"Shellder shell is hard," Misty said. "It can deflect electric attacks."

Shellder let out a Water Gun which hit Pikachu, but since Pikachu was at a higher level, it didn't do much damage.

"Thudnershock again." Ash called and Pikachu used another Thundershock as the water was hitting him. The Thundershock traveled through the water and right into Shellder's shell.

"Throw the Poké Ball now." Misty said but Ash didn't need her to tell him. He had already taken out a ball and thrown it at the water Pokémon. Shellder got sucked in and the pokemon shook once, twice, three times, and then stopped. Shellder was caught.

Ash ran over and took his Poké Ball. 'I caught a Shellder!" Ash cheered, holding it up in a pose.

_"We did it!" _Pikachu cheered, letting out small sparks from his cheeks. The sparks hit a nearby Spearow, who was not happy about it.

The Spearow let out a yell and suddenly Spearow were all over them. They went right for Pikachu at first, but as more came they attacked Ash, Misty, and Seel. "Return!" Misty yelled, taking out a Poké Ball and getting her Seel inside.

"Pikachu!" Ash cried, running through the Spearow to grab his starter and his bag. Misty had already gotten her bag and was jumping on the back of her bike to get away down a path. Ash ran behind her with Pikachu in his arms and Shellder on his belt.

As they ran, it started to rain and Misty's bike hit a bump, sending her flying off of it. The Spearow were on her by the time Ash and Pikachu got there and Pikachu let out a Thundershock to get rid of them. Pikachu jumped out of Ash's arms and down on Misty. Ash stood in front of them putting his arms out.

"Spearow, do you know who I am? I'm Ash from the town of Pallet! I am destined to be the world's number one Pokemon master and I can't be defeated by the likes of you! I'm going to capture and defeat you all!" Ash yelled, trying to distract them from his friends.

The Spearow rushed at him and Ash felt the pain from their attacks. _"Don't worry Ash. I'm here." _Ash heard Pikachu say, and suddenly the yellow rat jumped onto his shoulder and past him. As Pikachu powered up a Thundershock, a bolt of lightning hit him, making the move very powerful. It hit every single Spearow there was, knocking those closest out and scaring the others away.

Ash collapsed onto the ground next to Misty and Pikachu lay beside him him. "You saved me." Misty said.

"Well, what are friends for?" Ash replied.

'We're friends?" Misty asked and then answered her own question. "Yeah I guess we are."

"What's that?' Ash asked, pointing up and Misty looked where he was pointing. The most beautiful bird Pokémon either had ever seen was flying over them.

As Ash's Pokédex mumbled that there was no data available, Pikachu told Ash, _"It's Ho-Oh." _As Pikachu said it, two feathers floated down, one hitting Ash and the other Misty. _"He blesses our journey. The three of us together." _Pikachu decided not to mention that since Misty and Ash got a feather at the same time it meant they were soul mates.

The three laid there for some time before Ash got up and helped Misty to her feet. The two put the feathers they had received in their pockets and Ash picked up Pikachu. "Why don't you put Pikachu into his Poké Ball?" Misty asked as she looked over her bike, but it was completely destroyed and she decided to just leave it on the ground where it was.

"He doesn't like his Poké Ball," Ash told her and the two started to walk towards Viridian City.

They walked in silence, but as they entered, a officer with blue hair stopped them. "Let me see some ID," Officer Jenny said.

Ash was confused as Misty took out a card. He didn't have one of those. "I don't I have ID, but my Pokémon is hurt and I need to get him to the center," Ash said.

Jenny gave him a suspicious look at first until she saw the Pokédex in his pocket and took it out, playing the message programmed into it. "Do you want a ride in my sidecar to the center?" Jenny asked.

"I think we can walk there," Ash replied and the three continued walking to a very large building.

When they got inside Ash ran to the counter with Pikachu. "Please can you help my Pikachu?" Ash begged.

"We'll do what we can. I need a stretcher for a small electric Pokémon, stat! It'll be ok. Rush this Pokémon to the critical care unit. We'll begin the treatment right away," Nurse Joy ordered as a Chansey came out with a stretcher.

"If there is anything I can do…" Ash started, but Nurse Joy cut him off.

"You can be more responsible. If you want to become a pokemon trainer, young man, you don't let your pokemon battle 'till it's in this condition," Nurse Joy scolded.

"Hey!" Misty yelled. 'We were chased by insane Spearow for no reason and Pikachu saved our lives! So do your job and don't insult people until you know the story!" Nurse Joy didn't know what to say to that, so she mumbled an apology and then went to go attend to Pikachu.

The two ten year olds looked at each other. "Thanks for that," Ash said gratefully.

"No problem. I don't like nasty people," Misty replied. "I'm going to go report that Spearow flock to the Pokemon League. They should get someone out here to check it out. That is dangerous. Then I'm going to check over Seel and give him a potion. Want me to check over Shellder to see if she needs any help?"

"If you don't mind." Ash said, taking out Shellder's ball and handing it to Misty, who nodded. "I'm going to call home." Ash informed Misty before heading over to the phone and calling his mom.

"Hi Mom," Ash greeted when Delia picked up.

"Hi sweetie. Where are you?" Delia asked.

"Viridian City Pokémon Center," Ash said.

"You made it already? It took your father a week. He'd be so proud of you," Delia gushed. "How is everything going?"

"Fine, I caught a pokemon and made a new friend. Her name is Misty." Ash told his mother deciding to leave out the part where Pikachu got hurt.

"Oh, a girl," Delia said with a smile and Ash face got red.

"Mom, it's not like that!" Ash protested.

"Okay, well, be good and remember to change your 'you know what's.'" Delia said making Ash's face got even more red as he said goodbye and hung up.

Misty came back not long later and gave Ash back his Poké Ball. "Shellder is good. I gave her a Potion to heal any injury from her battle with Pikachu." Misty told Ash.

"Thank you," Ash said letting his new pokemon out of the ball. "Hey Shellder. I'm your new trainer. My name is Ash. I hope we can be friends." Shellder looked at Ash and then jumped up, making Ash catch her. "I'll take that as a yes."

Misty was smiling. "You're lucky she bit your line. If she hadn't, I would have loved this one," Misty joked and Ash smiled back.

"So what are…"Before Ash could finish talking there was the sound of a phone ringing. "Someone is calling the center."

"We better answer it in case it's an emergency," Misty said and pushed a button on the call. On the screen came Professor Oak face.

'Hello Ash!" Oak called out.

"Hi Professor." Ash said, getting next to Misty.

"Well, there you are. Who is that next to you?" Oak asked.

"My friend Misty," Ash replied. "Misty, this is Professor Oak." Misty greeted the professor.

"I was talking to your mother and she told me you were at Viridian City Pokémon Center. Is that true?" Oak asked.

"I couldn't be talking to you now if I wasn't," Ash said.

Oak seemed confused for a second and then laughed. "Right because I called the center and you answered." Oak said with a smile. "Is that a Shellder in your arms?" Ash held Shellder up to the camera to show him to Oak. "Is it your Shellder?"

"Yes, I just caught her." Ash said.

"You don't know how happy that makes me," Oak told him.

"Why would Ash catching a Pokémon make you happy?" Misty asked, confused.

"Because my grandson bet me a million dollars that Ash wouldn't catch a Pokémon by the time he got to Viridian and I took it,' Oak explained and Ash rolled his eyes.

Ash wondered if he should tell Oak about the flying Pokémon they saw but decided not to. He needed to ask Pikachu more about this Ho-oh first. The three talked for a bit, but then Oak's pizza arrived and he ran off.

"So what were you saying before the professor called?" Misty asked.

'Oh, so what are your plans? How do you become a water Pokémon master?" Ash asked.

"Well…um… you catch a lot of water Pokémon and you…" Misty paused.

"Doesn't seem like you know how," Ash said. "Well I'm heading to Pewter City to take on the gym there. Maybe you should come with and take on the gyms as well."

"Compete in the Indigo League?" Misty asked, shocked. She never had considered it.

"Yeah, why not? If you can get eight badges and do well in the league, you'll show everyone how good you are with water pokemon," Ash told her, making Misty think about it.

Not long later Nurse Joy came out with Pikachu on a stretcher. "Your Pikachu will be just fine," Nurse Joy said.

"Thank you," Ash said.

_"Hey Ash," _Pikachu greeted him. _"Of course I'd be fine." _Ash smiled at that and then turned to Misty.

"So Misty what do you say? Join me on my adventure. Take on the gyms and we can help each other train," Ash offered.

"Nurse Joy, can you sign me up for the league?" Misty requested, taking out her ID.

"Of course." Nurse Joy replied, going to the computer and signing her up.

As Joy signed Misty up, they heard an announcement from Officer Jenny that an aircraft belonging to pokemon thieves has been detected over the city. Not long after that, a window at the top of the pokemon center was broken and a man and woman with a Meowth, Ekans, and Koffing came down.

"Who are you?" Ask asked, realizing he had made a mistake by asking when the group went into a long motto that made no sense at all.

_"Did that really just happen?" _Pikachu asked when it was over.

"Shellder, Water Gun!" Ash ordered and Shellder jumped out of his arms and shot off a stream of water.

Misty took out a Poké Ball and a Staryu appeared, whom she also told to use Water Gun.

The thieves were covered in water and could barely tell their two pokemon to attack.

"Rapid spin," Misty commanded. Staryu spun so fast that it was a blur, slamming into Ekans and Koffing and sending them flying backwards.

Pikachu jumped up and let sparks out of his cheeks. Before Ash could stop him he let out a large electric attack which sent the two thieves and all their Pokémon flying out of the center.

"That was not Thundershock,' Ash said, taking out his Pokédex to see it was Thunderbolt. "Awesome! You learned Thunderbolt, Pikachu!"

"You two will do great in the league," Nurse Joy said with a smile, thankful that she didn't have to go and transfer all the Pokémon to Pewter City Pokémon Center.

-PM-

Jesse, James, and Meowth were hanging off their balloon. They had managed to return Ekans and Koffing. "How did that Pikachu send us blasting off?" James asked.

"It must be the most powerful Pikachu there is. We must have it." Jessie said.

"You idiots! We were covered in water." Meowth said. "That's how it sent us blasting off."

**AN: Well there is the first chapter. Ash will not catch all the Pokémon he had in the anime, but he will catch many of them, and he'll catch several other great ones.**

**Ash: Pikachu, Shellder**

**Misty: Staryu, Seel, Goldeen (We eliminated Starmie since its pointless for her to have both) **


	2. Chapter 2

A Different Path

Viridian Forest and Pewter Gym

**Dragonsrule18 and CharmedMilliE are back with our next chapter! Hope you enjoy it and please remember to review!**

"A Different Path." -Normal Speech

"_A Different Path." _-Ash/Pikachu mental bond

"_**A Different Path." **_-Pokémon Speech(that Ash cannot understand)

**A Different Path**\- Pokédex entries

Ash, Misty, and Pikachu spent the night at the Pokémon Center, and bright and early the next morning, entered Viridian Forest. Ash noticed that Misty seemed rather nervous, jumping and looking around every time there was a strange sound.

"What's the matter, Misty?" Ash asked.

"Nothing. I'm fine." she replied quickly. Ash didn't believe her, but decided not to press her on it.

After a few hours of walking, they stopped for lunch at a small clearing. As Misty munched on her cheese sandwich, she felt something nuzzling up against her. "Aww, it looks like Pikachu wants a bite of my sandwich." she said with a smile.

"Pikachu's over here." Ash replied, gesturing towards Pikachu, who was sitting beside Ash and digging into a bowl of Poké Chow.

"Huh? If Pikachu's with you, then what's…." Misty looked down, seeing a little Caterpie rubbing against her arm and looking up at her adoringly. "AHHHHHH!" she screamed, jumping about five feet in the air and landing in Ash's lap. "Get it away! Get it away!"

"I can't if you're sitting on me!" Ash protested, and Misty jumped off his lap and hid behind him. Ash got up and gently picked up the Caterpie, placing it safely on a tree branch. "Sheesh, Misty, it was just a little Caterpie. It can't hurt you."

Misty glared at him. "It was a creepy, disgusting Bug! They're one of the three most disgusting things out there!"

"What are the other disgusting things?" Ash asked.

"Carrots, peppers, and BUGS! Everyone has something they don't like, AND I DON'T LIKE BUGS!" Misty yelled.

Ash hid a laugh. "C'mon, Misty, Bugs aren't so bad."

"Well, I think they're disgusting." Misty grumbled. Ash and Pikachu looked at each other and shrugged.

After cleaning up, they headed off again, Misty still jumping at every small sound. Suddenly, Misty let out another ear-piercing shriek. Pikachu jumped a foot in the air, nearly falling off Ash's shoulder before Ash steadied him. _"I wish she would quit doing that." _Pikachu grumbled.

Somehow Misty managed to jump several feet in the air and cling tightly to a low tree branch. "What's wrong now, Misty?" Ash asked.

"I think I see another Bug! Gross!" Misty screamed. The tree branch suddenly snapped and she landed hard on her bottom.

Ash helped her to her feet. "Where is it?"

Misty pointed. "Right over there!" Ash turned to see a Weedle coming towards them. Ash picked up his Pokédex and scanned it.

"**Weedle. The stinger on this Pokémon's head guarantees that any attacker will get the point right where it hurts." **the Pokédex droned.

"_Well, that information is helpful." _Pikachu said sarcastically.

"A stinger, huh?" Ash mused. "Now there's a challenge."

"Why are you so excited about a Bug with a stinger?! Make it go away!" Misty yelled, hiding behind Ash.

"Actually, I think I'm going to capture it. If I want to be a great Pokémon trainer, I need to capture some more Pokémon." Ash said.

Misty backed away. "All right, fine, but keep it as far away from me as possible!"

Ash looked at his starter. "Hey, Pikachu, you up for a battle?"

"_Sure." _Pikachu jumped off Ash's shoulder and went to face the Weedle, but it wasn't there.

"Where'd it go?" Ash wondered. A shrill scream answered his question. The Weedle had made a beeline for Misty and began rubbing against her leg.

Misty took off running, making the poor Weedle land on its face. "What are you waiting for? Catch it!" she yelled as she ran off into the distance.

"All right. Pikachu, Thundershock!" Ash ordered. Pikachu shot off a small bolt of electricity, but the Weedle dodged, then rushed towards Pikachu in a Poison Sting attack.

"Pikachu, dodge using Quick Attack, then use another Thundershock!" Ash commanded. Pikachu dodged the attack by inches, then shot off another Thundershock, hitting its target. The Weedle was knocked senseless.

"Great job, Pikachu!" Ash told his starter, taking out a Poké Ball.

…...

Misty looked behind her to make sure the Weedle wasn't following her. Thankfully it wasn't and her run slowed to a walk. "This whole forest is crawling with creepy, disgusting Pokémon." she muttered. "I wish they'd just bug off." Suddenly she heard a twig snap, and turned to see a boy in a samurai outfit leaping out of the bushes and a sword coming straight at her face. Thankfully, the boy stopped his swing when the sword was about an inch away.

"Greetings, o' shrieking maiden!" The kid said. "Are you by chance the Pokémon trainer that comes from Pallet?"

"N-No, that's not me!" Misty replied shakily.

"Alas, my search continues." the boy said, walking away. Then he turned back to her. "I advise you to refrain from further shrieking while you're in this forest, unless your goal is to attract a horde of Beedrill."

Misty sighed with relief as he left. "What a weird kid." she muttered, sitting down. "I wonder why he was looking for a trainer from…" Then her eyes widened and she jumped to her feet. "That's Ash!" She rushed to warn her unsuspecting friend.

…...

As Ash prepared to throw the Poké Ball, he heard a voice behind him. "Greetings. Am I addressing the Pokémon trainer that comes from Pallet?"

"I come from Pallet, but I'm a little busy right now." Ash muttered, his eyes focused on the Weedle.

"I have found you at last!" the boy in the samurai outfit cried, drawing his sword. Ash heard Misty scream his name and turned to see the boy swinging his sword at him. But Pikachu was faster. Jumping between his trainer and the attacker, he gave the boy a Thundershock, making him drop to the ground, groaning.

"_That will teach you to attack my trainer." _Pikachu growled, his cheeks sparking.

"Who are you and why did you attack us?" Ash yelled. "I will not let you steal my Pokémon!"

The boy got up, groaning. "I am no Pokémon thief!"

"Who are you then?" Misty asked nervously.

"I am Samurai. I am also shrewd, fearless, and completely invincible in combat." the kid replied. Pikachu rolled his eyes. "I have been searching the forest for you, meaning to challenge you to a Pokémon battle!"

Ash stared at him in disbelief. "So instead of just asking me, you decided to swing a sword at my face?"

"It's called a katana!"

"I don't care what it's called! You can't just run around swinging sharp objects at people!" Ash exclaimed. Then he remembered what he had been doing before Samurai interrupted. He looked for the Weedle, but it was gone. "And now you made me lose Weedle!"

"Don't blame your failure on me." Samurai replied. 'Your Pokémon handling is dimwitted and clumsy!"

"_No, that's your sword-handling you're talking about." _Pikachu muttered sarcastically.

"What do you know about Pokémon?" Ash asked angrily. "We could beat you in a Pokémon match blindfolded!"

"There's one way to find out." Samurai retorted, pulling out a Poké Ball.

Ash reached for Shellder's Poké Ball and Pikachu, who wanted to kick Samurai's butt, looked disappointed. _"Sorry buddy, but I need to make sure Shellder gets more battle experience before we go to Pewter Gym." _he thought to Pikachu. If he could hear Pikachu's thoughts, it should work the other way around as well. Pikachu nodded, understanding, and Ash threw Shellder's Poké Ball. "Go, Shellder!"

"Pinsir! Assume battle mode!" Samurai called releasing an armor-plated Bug Pokémon with a squat body, clawed hands, sharp fangs, and large, wickedly pointed pincers on its head.

None of them noticed a set of eyes in the bushes that were curiously watching Ash as he prepared for battle.

…...

"Pinsir! Tackle it!" Samurai ordered, and the Bug Pokémon charged forward, pincers ready to crush its opponent.

"Shellder, withdraw!" Ash called. Shellder shut her shell tightly right before Pinsir struck and the Tackle did barely any damage to Shellder, but knocked the wind out of Pinsir.

"Now use Water Gun!" Ash commanded, and Shellder hit Pinsir with a blast of water, knocking it down.

"Get up and use Tackle!" Samurai ordered. Pinsir managed to get up, running towards Shellder.

"Hit it with another Water Gun before it can reach you!" Ash called. Shellder knocked Pinsir back with Water Gun. The attack was too much for the exhausted Bug, and it fell to the ground, swirls in its eyes.

"Good job, Shellder!" Ash cheered. Shellder looked up at her trainer and gave a happy coo.

"Grr… Very clever." Samurai growled, returning his fainted Pokémon. "But no one beats my next Pokémon! Go! Metapod!"

"Are you okay to continue?" Ash asked Shellder, who cooed again. Ash interpreted it as "Yes."

"Metapod, Harden!" Samurai ordered.

"Use Water Gun before it can!" Ash commanded. Shellder shot off a Water Gun, striking Metapod before it could finish its Harden, but due to its high Defense, it wasn't out yet.

"Use Harden again, Metapod!" Samurai called. The Metapod glowed, its shell becoming stronger.

"Give it another Water Gun! Full power!" Ash called. Shellder released a very strong blast of water, but then suddenly the water stopped and very sharp icicles came out of her shell. Metapod was struck three times and quickly fainted.

"What was that?" Ash wondered, taking out his Pokédex.

"**Icicle Spear, one of Shellder's signature moves. This attack fires sharp icicles at the opponent, normally striking between two and five times."**

"Congratulations, Shellder." Ash said warmly. "You learned Icicle Spear." Shellder happily jumped into her trainer's arms, nearly bowling him over.

Suddenly, the group heard a loud buzzing noise. "What was that?" Misty asked shakily.

"A Beedrill swarm approaches!" Samurai cried as a horde of Beedrill, their arm needles glistening in the sun, appeared overhead. "Metapod, return!" His Metapod was sucked back into its Poké Ball. "The Weedle that got away from you must have informed the rest of its kind! Good day!" Samurai ran off, leaving them behind.

Ash hurriedly returned Shellder, scooped up Pikachu, grabbed Misty's arm, and they ran, the Beedrill swarm gaining on them.

The eyes that had been watching from the bushes widened in horror, and their owner, a large male Scyther, leapt out. He rushed after them, praying he wouldn't be too late.

Ash and Misty ran as quick as they could, but the swarm was gaining on them. Pikachu leapt off of Ash's shoulders, sending out a Thunderbolt in hopes of stopping them. It managed to slow them down a little and knock out some of the closest members, but the swarm still came at them.

"Pikachu!" Ash screamed, seeing that his starter was in the midst of the swarm. He ran to rescue Pikachu.

"_Ash, run! I'll hold them off!" _Pikachu cried. But Ash either hadn't heard his mental message or wasn't listening and continued to run towards him. Pikachu desperately shot Thundershock after Thundershock at the Beedrill. Suddenly, he let off a strong wave of electricity, paralyzing the Beedrill, who fell to the ground.

Meanwhile, Misty, who was still running, noticed that Ash was no longer beside her. _He must have gotten left behind! _she realized in horror. Without hesitation, she ran back, praying that Ash was okay. She turned a corner to see Pikachu had somehow paralyzed the swarm.

But one had managed to get past him and was headed straight for Ash, Twineedle attack at the ready. _"ASH!" _both Pikachu and Misty screamed, rushing towards their friend. But there was no way either of them could make it in time…

…...

The huge Beedrill was coming straight for Ash and unable to get out of the way in time, he braced himself for the attack. Suddenly, a green blur shoved him out of the way, knocking him to the ground. He looked up to see a huge Scyther standing in front of him protectively. The Beedrill charged at them, but the Scyther struck it with a claw, knocking it to the ground. Pikachu, who had finally reached them, gave the Beedrill a Thundershock as it tried to get up again. "Thanks." Ash murmured to the Scyther as he helped Ash up. The Scyther nodded.

"Ash, are you all right?" Misty asked, running up to him.

Ash nodded. "Thanks to Scyther and Pikachu."

Some of the swarm members began breaking free of the paralysis, and Misty gasped. "We've got to go!" She grabbed Ash's arm, who grabbed Scyther's arm and called for Pikachu, who sent another wave of electricity after the swarm before leaping onto Ash's shoulders. They ran, some Beedrill that managed to recover chasing after them.

Misty pulled Ash into a side path and the swarm thankfully zoomed right past. Misty, watching to make sure the swarm was gone, bumped right into Samurai.

"Thanks for leaving us to die back there." Misty growled at Samurai, who took an involuntary step backward, but then glared back at her.

Ash noticed Scyther staring at something, a scared expression on his face. He turned to see what Scyther was staring at and let out an involuntary gasp at what he saw.

There were dozens of Kakuna staring at them. They must have wandered into the Beedrill's nesting area! This was bad. Very bad. "Um, guys…" Ash started.

"It is not my fault that you angered the Beedrill!" Samurai yelled at Misty.

"Guys…" Ash said again, backing away as a few of the Kakuna began glowing.

"You're the one that…" Misty stopped as Ash tapped her on the shoulder, pointing frantically at the Kakuna. "Uh-oh!"

Scyther grabbed both Misty and Ash's arm, getting a frightened squeak from Misty, and pulled them away from the tree as the Kakuna evolved. And once again they were running, yet another angry swarm after them. They saw a log cabin in the distance.

"My cabin! I think we can make it!" Samurai cried. They rushed into the cabin. Samurai slammed the door just in time as several Beedrill stingers lodged themselves in the wood.

Ash sighed with relief. "Phew. That was close."

Samurai glared at Ash. "I hope you learned your lesson, novice! You letting that Weedle escape almost cost us our lives!"

Pikachu and Scyther growled, and Ash was about to retort, but Misty beat them to it. Grabbing a mallet from out of nowhere, she whacked Samurai in the head.

"Now listen, you." she growled at Samurai, who looked like he was about to wet his pants. "It was your fault the Weedle escaped, not Ash's. The only reason he didn't catch it is that you swung a sword at his face! And not only that, you left us to the Beedrill! And now you're blaming my friend for your mistakes! You may call yourself a samurai, but you have no honor!" Samurai squeaked and nodded, getting as far away from the angry red-head as possible.

"_**I like that girl." **_Scyther muttered to Pikachu.

"_**Yeah, she's one of a kind." **_Pikachu replied.

"I…am sorry." Samurai said reluctantly. He looked out the window, seeing the Beedrill swarm flying around outside. "You can stay here until morning. By then, they should be gone." Placated, both Ash and Misty thanked him.

Ash and Misty set out their sleeping bags and Scyther lay down on the floor next to Ash. Just as Ash was about to drift off, he heard Pikachu's voice.

"_Ash?"_

"_Yes?" _he thought back, not wanting to wake the others.

"_You shouldn't have gone back for me. If Scyther hadn't been there, that Beedrill might have seriously hurt or even killed you!" _Ash could feel fear underlying the anger in Pikachu's voice.

"_Pikachu, you're my Pokémon and my friend. I could never leave you behind." _Ash replied.

Pikachu didn't know how to respond to that. He was touched that Ash cared that much for him, but it also scared him. Humans were a lot more fragile than Pokémon and Ash could have seriously gotten himself hurt today. Finally, he just curled up in Ash's arms and snuggled against his chest. After a few minutes, they both fell asleep.

…...

By the next morning, the Beedrill had lost interest and left, so Ash, Misty, and Pikachu decided it was safe to leave. They said goodbye to Samurai and headed out.

Once outside, Ash turned to Scyther. "Thank you. For everything." Scyther nodded, but didn't leave like Ash thought he was going to. Finally, it hit Ash what Scyther wanted. "Would you like to come with me?"

Scyther nodded, then took a battle stance. _"He wants you to battle him first." _Pikachu told Ash, not that it needed much translation.

Ash smiled, giving Scyther a nod before turning to Pikachu. "Ready for a battle, buddy?" he asked. Pikachu nodded. "Use Thundershock!" Pikachu shot off a small bolt of electricity at Scyther, but Scyther dodged, then hit Pikachu with a Quick Attack.

"_Ow…" _Pikachu groaned.

"Are you okay, Pikachu?" Ash called in concern.

Getting up, Pikachu nodded. _"Yeah, but that Scyther is strong. And fast…"_

"_We have to figure out a way to slow him down." _Ash thought to his starter. Then he remembered the wave of electricity Pikachu had sent out last night that had stopped the Beedrill in their attacks. He remembered the move from a battle he had seen on TV. "Pikachu, use Thunder Wave!"

Pikachu let out a Thunder Wave. Unable to get out of the way in time, Scyther was paralyzed by the electricity. He was still forcing himself to move, but was much slower than he had been.

"Okay, now use Thundershock!" Ash ordered. Pikachu shot off the Thundershock, and impeded by the paralysis, Scyther was unable to dodge. The Thundershock knocked Scyther to the ground and Ash tossed a Poké Ball at the exhausted Bug Type. It rattled three times, then clicked shut. "Yes! We caught Scyther!" Ash cheered, picking up Scyther's Poké Ball and striking a victory pose.

Ash then released Scyther, treating him with a Full Heal and one of the potions his mother had sent with them. He then scanned Scyther on his Pokédex.

**Scyther, the Mantis Pokémon. Its claws are sharp as swords, and it is a powerful flyer. This Pokémon is rarely seen by humans and almost never captured. This Scyther is level twenty, male, and knows the moves Vacuum Wave, Quick Attack, Leer, Focus Energy, Pursuit, and Wing Attack. He also has the egg move Steel Wing, but it has not been unlocked yet.**

"Those are some good moves, Scyther." Ash said. Scyther smiled proudly.

"Now that you're done admiring your Bug, can we please get out of here?" Misty complained. "I want to get out of the forest before those creepy Beedrill show up again!"

…...

They made it out of Viridian Forest an hour later and knowing his team wasn't quite ready for the first Gym, Ash asked if it was okay to stop and train for a few days. Misty agreed, wanting to train her team as well.

"_Unless it's a one on one battle, which I don't think it is, I need more than just Shellder for this gym, but you and Scyther are at type disadvantages. Do you have any ideas, buddy?" _Ash thought to Pikachu.

Pikachu thought for a few minutes, then his eyes lit up. _"There was this old Pikachu in my colony that learned the move Iron Tail. He could easily take out Rock Types using it and his speed."_

"_So how should I teach it to you?" _Ash wondered. Then he had an idea. Picking up his Pokédex, he went into the search feature and typed in 'How To Teach The Move Iron Tail'.

"**To teach a Pokémon the move Iron Tail, have it visualize a metal coating around its tail. Once the tail begins to glow, strengthen the move by having your Pokémon strike rocks with its tail or by sparring with another Pokémon. **

"Let's try it." Ash decided. "Okay, Pikachu, close your eyes and visualize a metal coating protecting your tail."

Pikachu nodded, closing his eyes and concentrating. After several tries, his tail began to glow.

"Good job, Pikachu." Ash praised him. He motioned to a nearby rock. "Now try to use Iron Tail on that rock."

Pikachu did, but the glow disappeared right as he hit the rock. _"Ow!"_

"You okay, Pikachu?" Ash asked.

"_Yeah, but I think my Iron Tail needs some more work…"_

…_..._

After a few hours, Pikachu got the glow on his tail to stay longer, and made some dust come off the rock, but he still couldn't crack it, and it was frustrating him. _**"Why can't I get this right?" **_he groaned.

Scyther, who was working on his Fury Cutter, heard him and walked over. _**"I think I see your problem."**_

"_**What is it?"**_

"_**Your stance is off. You can't use the full force of your Iron Tail with that type of posture. Plus, if your opponent dodges, it could knock you off balance. Here, do it like this." **_Scyther took a crouching position, and Pikachu tried to copy him. _**"Spread your feet a little more. Yeah, like that." **_Scyther instructed. _**"Okay, now center your weight a little bit. Okay, good. Now try it."**_

Pikachu swung his tail at the rock, and a huge crack appeared in it. Two more hits with Iron Tail, and the rock was cut in half. _**"I did it!" **_Pikachu cheered. _**"Thanks, Scyther!"**_

Scyther nodded. _**"Just keep doing what I told you and you'll beat that Rock Gym."**_

Pikachu gave him a playful salute. _**"Yes, Sarge!" **_Scyther rolled his eyes at his new friend and then both went back to training.

"Guys, dinner!" Ash called a few minutes later. Ash carried Shellder, who he had been working with, over to the picnic blanket Misty had set up. Tired and hungry from training, the Pokémon eagerly devoured their Poké Chow at record speed.

Pikachu suddenly thought of something and turned to Scyther. _**"Hey, Scyther, can I ask you a question?"**_

"_**Sure, what?"**_

"_**Not that I'm not extremely grateful you did, but why did you risk yourself to save my trainer yesterday? It was like you came out of nowhere, right at the moment we needed you."**_

Scyther was quiet for a minute before replying. _**"I was actually nearby, watching you two battle that Weedle and Ash's battle with that weirdo with the sword. You see, I had been looking for a trainer for a while now, one that had a warrior's spirit. I was impressed by Ash's battle skills and was about to challenge him myself, but then the swarm attacked. I knew you guys were in serious trouble so I ran to help."**_

"_**Thank you." **_Pikachu told him.

"_**You're welcome. By the way, how long have you and Ash been together?"**_

"_**A few days." **_Pikachu replied.

"_**Really? I thought it was at least several months by how close you two seemed. It's almost like you and Ash could understand what the other was thinking."**_

Pikachu sheepishly scratched his head. _**"Umm, about that…" **_He told Scyther about the strange mental bond that had developed between him and Ash.

Scyther looked stunned. _**"Wow, that's really….strange. I've never heard of that happening with a Pokémon that wasn't a psychic type before."**_

"_**I've never heard of it happening at all. Trust me, we're as confused as you are. I wonder why it hasn't happened with you or Shellder."**_

"_**Maybe it's just some kind of special bond thing between you and Ash. I like Ash, I really do, but I wouldn't want anyone in my personal head-space, reading my every thought, so I'm kind of glad it didn't happen to me."**_

"_**It is weird, but I kind of like it. It's nice to have a trainer who can understand me." **_PIkachu admitted. _**"And Ash is a nice kid. If I have to have a mental bond with anyone, I'm glad it's him."**_

"_**Pikachu, since Ash can understand you, can you ask him if I can have some more Leppa Berries?" **_Shellder asked suddenly.

Pikachu and Scyther jumped in surprise and stared at her. _**"Okay…" **_Pikachu replied. He sent a mental message to Ash, who took some Leppa Berries out of his bag and Shellder went over to Ash eagerly. Once she was out of earshot, Pikachu turned back to Scyther. _**"She can be so quiet, I sometimes forget she's there."**_

…...

Over the next week, Ash, Pikachu, Scyther, and Shellder trained very hard. Pikachu mastered Iron Tail, and with the help of Scyther, greatly improved his speed.

Scyther quickly picked up on Fury Cutter and Slash, and Shellder, who had worked hard with Ash, learned Icicle Shard, Razor Shell, and Clamp.

Misty too trained hard, getting her Water types ready for the gym. She was determined to prove to the world, and especially to her sisters, that she would be the best Water Pokémon Master in the world.

Finally, they decided they were ready and headed into Pewter City a week after their training began. After a two hour hike, they finally made it to Pewter City.

"Phew, we're finally here." Ash said, taking a seat on a large rock. Misty and Pikachu sat beside him.

"Pewter City is grey. The color of stone. Pewter City has always been famous for its stone." a gruff voice said, making everyone jump. They then looked down to see a middle aged man with a beard sitting below the rock.

"Huh? Who are you?" Ash asked.

"The name's Flint. And you and your friend are sitting on my merchandise, young man."

Ash, Misty, and Pikachu jumped off the rock. "Sorry." Ash said sheepishly. He saw that the man had a booth covered in rocks with price tags on them. "You're selling rocks?"

"They're Pewter City souvenirs. Would you like to buy some?" the man offered.

"No, thank you." Ash said politely. "Could you tell us where the Pokémon Center is, please?"

Flint pointed them in the right direction. "Just go down that street and to the left, and it will be the first building you see. And you owe me two dollars for resting on my rocks."

Deciding it wasn't worth arguing about, Ash paid him the two dollars, and he, Misty, and Pikachu went to the Pokémon Center. After Nurse Joy healed their teams, Ash and Misty headed to the Gym. Ash allowed Misty to go first, and went into the stands to watch.

…...

Ash cheered for Misty as her Staryu and Seel easily took out Brock's Geodude and Onix. Misty's hard work, as well as her Pokémon's type advantage, had paid off. After Brock congratulated her and handed her the Boulder Badge, Misty ran up to the stands to meet Ash, who gave her a high-five.

"Great job, Misty!" Ash told her. Brock had to take his Pokémon to the Pokémon Center, so he ushered Ash and Misty out of the Gym, scheduling Ash's battle for after lunch.

As they ate lunch, Misty looked at Pikachu thoughtfully. "Ash, I know you and Pikachu have trained really hard, but Pikachu might be in trouble at this gym because of his type disadvantage. I can loan you one of my Water Pokémon if you'd like."

Ash thought for a minute, then silently asked Pikachu what he thought through their mental bond. Pikachu's response was firm; he wanted to battle in the gym. Ash turned to Misty. "No thanks, Misty. I really appreciate it, but Pikachu and I have worked really hard for this. I know we can do it. And it will feel like cheating if I use your Pokémon." Misty nodded, and when the bill came, they split it and headed back to the Gym. Ash knocked on the door and Brock let him in.

"Are you ready to battle?" Brock asked. Ash nodded and Brock hit a button, lowering the Gym field.

"Is this your first Gym battle?" Brock questioned.

"Yes." Ash told him.

"Okay, a Gym battle is much different than a trainer battle. We will each use two Pokémon. There is no time limit and items are not allowed. Ready to begin?"

Ash nodded and stepped onto the training field, Pikachu beside him.

"Go! Onix!" Brock yelled, releasing his starter. The Rock Snake Pokémon let out a deafening battle cry.

"Pikachu, you're up." Ash told his starter. Pikachu nodded and stepped in front of Ash.

"I really hope Ash knows what he's doing." Misty said worriedly as she watched. Suddenly the back door opened and ten little kids walked in, sitting in the stands around Misty and cheering for Brock.

"A Pikachu?" Brock asked scornfully. "Using an electric type against a rock is a big mistake. Especially since your Pokémon is still in its cutest stage."

"_Cute?! I'll show him cute!" _Pikachu growled, his cheeks sparking.

"_Easy buddy, he'll soon learn not to underestimate us." _Ash thought to his partner.

"Onix, Tackle Attack!" Brock called.

"Pikachu, dodge using Quick Attack, then use Iron Tail!" Ash called. Pikachu got out of the way by inches, then swung his glowing tail at Onix, making it roar in pain.

"Onix, grab it and use Bind!" Brock ordered.

"Pikachu, dodge! Don't let it grab you!" Ash called. Pikachu managed to get out of the way, but the edge of Onix's tail flicked him and sent him flying. "Are you okay, Pikachu?" Ash asked in concern.

Pikachu got up quickly. _"I'm fine."_

"Tackle it, Onix, then use Bind!" Brock yelled.

Ash had an idea. "Jump on its head, Pikachu!" Pikachu leapt in the air, landing on Onix and quickly running up onto its head. "Now use Iron Tail!" Pikachu slammed his glowing tail into Onix's head, making it roar in pain and struggle to throw Pikachu off, but Pikachu hung on tight.

"Get it off your head, Onix!" Brock called, worried now.

"Pikachu, keep hitting it with Iron Tail!" Ash ordered. Pikachu kept hitting Onix with Iron Tail. Too in pain to think straight, Onix lifted his tail and was about to hit Pikachu with it, but Ash yelled out a warning. Pikachu got out of the way just in time, and Onix hit itself in the head with its own tail, knocking itself out.

Brock was stunned. "Very impressive. I definitely underestimated you." he told Ash. Brock recalled Onix to his Poké Ball. "Good job, buddy. Take a rest." he whispered. He then turned back to Ash. "Let's see how you do against my next Pokémon! "Go! Geodude!" The Rock Pokémon landed on the battlefield.

"Pikachu, return!" Ash called to his starter. Pikachu ran back to Ash and lay beside him, panting. "Go! Shellder!" he said, releasing his Bivalve Pokémon. Shellder gave a happy coo, ready for battle.

"Geodude, Rollout!" Brock called.

"Hit it with a Water Gun!" Ash commanded. A stream of water came out of Shellder's shell, hitting Geodude, but it powered through the attack and slammed into Shellder, knocking it backwards.

"Now Tackle it!" Brock ordered. Geodude threw itself at Shellder, but a green-colored, semitransparent shield suddenly appeared in front of Shellder, deflecting Geodude's attack.

Ash was stunned. "What was that?"

"_That was Protect." _Pikachu told him.

Ash smiled and nodded, then called to Shellder, "Use Razor Shell!" Shellder clamped her shell shut, and spinning rapidly, slammed into Geodude, who was sent back several feet. "Now use Water Gun! Full power!" Geodude couldn't get out of the way in time and was blasted by the Water Gun. The attack was too much and Geodude fainted.

Brock looked shocked for a minute, then walked up to Ash. "I was cocky and completely underestimated you, so I lost. In honor of your victory, I give to you, the official Pokémon League Boulder Badge."

Ash took it, staring at it almost reverently for a few minutes before it finally struck him that he had won. "We did it guys! We won!" he cheered, picking up Pikachu and hugging him, then petting Shellder. "You two were wonderful! Thank you!" Misty ran down, congratulating him, and he ran over and hugged her in his excitement, then pulled away, blushing.

Pikachu grinned. _"You're welcome." _Shellder just cooed happily.

The little kids in the stands ran up to Brock, hugging him and crying. "It's okay, guys. Losses happen." Brock said soothingly. "Run home. I'll meet you there."

Ash returned Shellder and placed Pikachu on his shoulder. "I'd better get these guys to the Pokémon Center." he said.

"Mind if I come with you?" Brock asked. "I need to get my Pokémon healed too."

"Not at all." Ash said with a smile. The three left the gym, heading to the Pokémon Center.

As Nurse Joy healed Pikachu and Shellder, Ash, Brock, and Misty chatted lightly about various subjects. Ash found himself liking Brock. Once Brock let down his tough Gym Leader persona, he was easygoing and friendly, as well as very knowledgable about Pokémon.

The time passed quickly, and soon Nurse Joy called Ash's name. Pikachu immediately leapt off the counter and onto Ash's shoulder as Ash replaced Shellder's Poké Ball on his belt.

"You and your Pikachu seem very close." Brock commented.

Ash smiled. "We are."

"Well, the way you battled today definitely proves it. You'll go far in the Pokémon League if you keep that up."

"Thanks." Ash told him.

As they walked out of the Pokémon Center, Brock confessed, "Personally, I get a lot more pleasure from raising Pokémon than from making them battle. I don't care about being a great Pokémon Trainer. What I really want is to become the world's greatest Pokémon Breeder."

"Then why don't you?" Ash asked.

"Yeah, you'd make an excellent Pokémon Breeder." Misty said.

"I have to stay here for my ten younger brothers and sisters." Brock said sadly. "I can't leave them. I'm all they have."

"I'm sorry." Ash said softly, not knowing what else to say. Misty nodded.

Brock gave them a small smile. "It's okay. But can you do me a favor?"

"Sure." Ash said.

"Continue my dream for me. You're a great trainer; I saw that today in your battle skills and your kindness to your Pokémon."

"I will." Ash said softly.

"Brock, you go follow your own dreams." a voice said from behind them. They turned to see Flint, the man from the rock shop. Flint pulled off his wig and beard, revealing an older version of Brock.

"My father." Brock growled. Ash, Misty, and Pikachu looked at each other in confusion and worry.

"I'm sorry, Brock." Flint murmured. "I couldn't become the great Pokémon trainer I wanted to be, and because I was such a failure, I was too embarrassed to come home to my family. But I'm stepping up now and taking responsibility like I should have done a long time ago. Go become the best Pokémon Breeder you can be. I am so sorry I held you back."

"First, there are a few things I need to tell you." Brock said.

"Go ahead." Flint replied. "After all these years, I know how you must feel about me. Get everything off your chest."

"Here." Brock told him, handing him a sewing needle and thread. "Susie always rips her dresses, so you better learn to sew. And Timmy only eats cold spaghetti for breakfast. Tommy likes cornflakes for dinner.."

"Slow down, I can't write that fast!" Flint exclaimed.

Ash pulled Misty and Pikachu aside. "Would you guys mind if I invited Brock to travel with us?" he asked.

"It's fine with me." Misty replied. "Brock's a really nice guy."

Pikachu nodded. _"Just as long as he never calls me "cute," again, I'm good with it too." _Ash hid a laugh, not wanting Misty to get suspicious.

Brock finished giving instructions to Flint and was walking away when Ash called him over. "Brock, I was wondering…."

…...

"Thanks for letting me tag along." Brock said happily as they left Pewter City.

"No problem." Misty said.

"It'll be nice to have a guy to talk to." Ash added. Brock grinned, and the group headed down the road and on their way to their next adventure.

**Ash's Pokémon**

**Pikachu (M): Thunder Shock, Quick Attack, Thunderbolt, Iron Tail. Egg Move: Volt Tackle (locked)**

**Shellder (F): Tackle, Withdraw, Icicle Shard, Razor Shell, Clamp, Protect, Icicle Spear**

**Scyther (M): Vaccum Wave, Quick Attack, Leer, Focus Energy, Pursuit, False Swipe, Agility, Wing Attack, Slash. Egg Move: Steel Wing (Locked). **

**Misty's ****Pokémon:**

**Staryu: Harden, Tackle, Water Gun, Rapid Spin, Recover, Bubble Beam. **

**Seel (M): Headbutt, Growl, Water Sport, Icy Wind, Encore, Ice Shard. Egg Move: Signal Beam  
**  
**Goldeen (F): Peck, Tail Whip, Water Sport, Supersonic, Horn Attack  
**


	3. Chapter 3

A Different Path

**Disclaimer: We do not own Pokemon.**

**Happy Easter, everyone! We hope you enjoy this chapter!**

"Hello." : normal speech

"_Hello.": _Ash/Pikachu mental bond

"_**Hello." **_Pokémon Speech

"**Hello." **Pokédex entries

Chapter 3: "Clefairy and the Moon Stone" and "The Water Flowers of Cerulean City"

As Ash, Pikachu, Misty, and Brock approached Mount Moon, they were talking about the mountain and about the meteor that had apparently crashed into it. Misty said it sounded romantic. They heard a scream coming from the mountain. There was a man being chased by Zubats. "Pikachu." was all Ash said.

_"I'm on it." _Pikachu thought back as he sent a Thunderbolt at the Zubats.

The Zubats went flying away. "Are you okay?" Ash asked the guy.

"You guys are the greatest!" the man exclaimed, jumping up and hugging Ash. "I'm talking super fantastic! Two thumbs up! Best rescue I ever had!"

Ash, as kindly as he could, pushed the man off of him and backed away. _"I bet he had to get rescued a lot. This guy should get himself his own Pokémon to protect him." _Pikachu thought to Ash and Ash stopped himself from laughing. While his Pokémon knew about his connection to Pikachu, he didn't tell Misty and Brock. He wasn't really sure how to tell them.

"It was nothing really." Ash said as Pikachu jumped back onto his shoulder. "I'm Ash, and this is my partner Pikachu and my friends Misty and Brock. What's your name, mister?"

"Never call me mister," the man said taking hold of Ash's arm. Ash could see Misty suddenly get her mallet out, but he held up his hand. So far this guy was harmless. "My name is Seymour! Seymour the scientist!"

"Okay," Misty said putting her mallet away from wherever she got it from. "Can you explain why the Zubat were attacking you?"

"Come follow me." Seymour said, leading them into the caves. "See, the cave is all lit up inside! Somebody has strung these lights through the whole cave. But the Pokémon in this cave need the dark! These lights are upsetting them and making them confused!"

"Which must be why the Zubat left their cave and attacked you." Brock concluded.

"The Paras are planting their mushrooms everywhere, and the lights are drying up these Sandshrew." Seymour said, pointing at the Pokémon in trouble.

"Pikachu, can you talk to them? See what's going on." Ash thought as he reached into his bag and took out a bowl and a bottle of water.

Pikachu went to talk to the pokemon as Ash filled up the bowl and put it on the ground for the Pokémon. _"They say there are two humans and a cat looking for a moonstone." _Pikachu told Ash as he jumped up. _"Sound familiar?"_

_"Yeah," _Ash thought back, getting up and rejoining his friends.

"That was very sweet Ash." Misty said with a smile. "Who could do something like this?"

"I can think of someone. Well two someones and a talking cat." Ash said, trying to make it sound like he was thinking it up all on this own.

"Not them again." Misty said, getting what Ash meant but leaving Brock and Seymour in the dark.

"Who?" Brock asked and was then informed of what happened at the Viridian City Pokémon Center. "Well I guess they could do it, but why?"

"I'm afraid it's for the Moon Stone." Seymour said.

"The Moon Stone?" Misty asked.

""Exactly," Seymour said. "The Moon Stone is an awesome boulder; a million years old or even older! Deep in these caves the meteor hides, though no explorer has found the place of the legendary rock from space! We've studied its fragments for many an hour and found that it increases a Pokémon's power. And that is why the attackers are here. They've come to take away the Moon Stone, I fear!"

"Brock, I thought moon stones only evolved certain Pokémon," Ash whispered to his friend.

"You're correct. That's all they do." Brock whispered back.

"Ever since I was a little boy, I've believed that Pokemon came to Earth from outer space," Seymour continued, seeming to not notice the side conversation and everyone looking at each other. "And where you, ask, is the spacecraft that brought them to Earth? It's in this cave! It's the m Moon Stone!"

"That's, um, certainly an original theory." Misty said.

_"This guy is a nutcase." _Pikachu thought to Ash and Ash hid a smile.

"Don't you see?" Seymour said, going to try and grab Ash, but Ash backed away. "The stone belongs to the Pokemon! We humans can't take it from them! You agree, don't you?"

"Yeah of course." Brock said.

"Let's see if we can find the generator." Ash said and the group walked down a tunnel. Suddenly a Clefairy carrying a moonstone hopped in front of them.

"That looks like a Clefairy." Brock said.

"It's so cute!" Misty cooed.

Ash took a step forward, deciding to warn the Clefairy about Team Rocket, but Seymour grabbed hold of his hand. "You can't catch it!" Seymour cried. "It belongs here!"

"I wasn't going to. I was going to warn it, and stop touching me." Ash told him and Pikachu, sensing his trainer discomfort with Seymour, powered up a Thundershock and shocked the scientist.

They ran after Clefairy and found it cornered by a Meowth. "Don't be scared of Meowth!" the cat said in an intimidating voice.

"You weren't joking about the talking Meowth." Brock muttered, causing the Meowth to turn around.

"You twerps get out of here! It's Team Rockets cave now!" Meowth growled.

"Pikachu, Quick Attack!" Ash called and Pikachu sped off, hitting Meowth and throwing him back.

"So Team Rocket is the one causing trouble in this cave. Good guess Ash," Misty said.

"Trouble?" a female voice said and Jessie appeared holding a shovel.

"Make it double." James appeared holding a pickax.

"To protect the world from devastation."

"To unite all people within our nation."

"To denounce the evils of truth and love."

"To extend our reach to the stars above."

"Jessie."

"And James."

"Team Rocket blasts off at the speed of light."

"Surrender now or prepare to fight."

"Meowth, that's right!" Meowth said, jumping between them.

"Misty, did you understand a word of that this time?" Ash asked, turning to his friend.

"Nope, still a mystery to me." Misty replied, shaking her head.

"Brock?" Ash asked. "Make any sense?" Brock shook his head, confused. "What about you, Seymour, you like to rhyme. Did that make any sense at all?" Seymour just shook his head as well.

_"Next time I hear that, I'm shocking them before it's over." _Pikachu muttered.

_"Should have done it this time." _Ash thought back.

"What are you doing here? Can't you see you're hurting the Pokemon in this cave? Those lights are making them confused!" Brock yelled.

"What a shame." Jessie said with a grin.

"How will we ever forgive ourselves?" James retorted sarcastically.

"We want our hands on a Moon Stone so we can power up our Pokémon with it." Meowth said, speaking as if he wasn't a Pokémon himself.

"With the Moon Stone in our hands, nothing can stop us!" Jesse exclaimed.

"People are real idiots when it comes to this Moon Stone." Ash mumbled, not believing someone else believed it would make their Pokémon stronger. "Misty, take Seymour and Clefairy and run.' Ash whispered and Misty nodded. "Pikachu." Ash said and Pikachu knew what Ash wanted him to do right away.

Pikachu ran, following Misty as Ash took out a Poké Ball and released Scyther. Jessie released her Ekans and James his Koffing. Brock took out a Poké Ball, releasing a Zubat. "You have a Zubat?" Ash asked, confused.

"Caught it outside the cave." Brock said, and Ash shrugged, finding it weird that Brock took advantage of his attack to catch a Pokémon, but not really caring.

"Koffing, Smog Attack!' James ordered and black smoke appeared out of Koffing mouth.

"Wing Attack, blow that smoke back at them!" Brock called.

"Good idea." Ash said, wishing he had thought of it. Then Ekans appeared out at the smoke and aimed a Bite right a Scyther. "False Swipe." Ash ordered and Scyther moved his arm and hit Ekans with a False Swipe that threw her backwards.

"Zubat, Supersonic!" Brock commanded and Zubat threw the attack at the two Pokémon, causing them to get confused and attack each other.

"Oh, no! Ekans, Koffing, what's with you weaklings?" James cried.

"Vacuum Wave." Ash said and Scyther moved, hitting both pokemon at the same time with the move, sending them back into their trainers.

Seeing they were defeated, Jessie and James returned their Pokémon and ran, yelling that they would be back.

"Ash, I have the strangest feeling we're forgetting something." Brock said as Ash told Scyther good job and returned him.

"Yeah I think we are…" Ash paused. "Where's Meowth?" both asked together.

They both moved to go, but Ash stopped Brock. "Go find the generator and shut down these lights. I'll go find Misty." Ash said and Brock nodded, liking the idea.

Brock and Zubat ran one way, and Ash ran the way Misty, Pikachu, Seymour, and Clefairy had gone. The two didn't notice the eyes watching them or a Geodude coming out of the shadows. The Geodude smirked and looked both ways. He punched the air with his fist and then set out following Ash.

Clefairy had run down the hill faster then the others. "Clefairy, wait up! Stay with the group!" Misty yelled, running down.

"Meowth's got you now." Meowth said, blocking Clefairy's path, but Pikachu used a Quick Attack on Meowth as fast as he could, sending Meowth flying into the river below.

Misty took out a Poké Ball, releasing her Goldeen into the river. "Horn Attack on the Meowth in there!" Misty called and Goldeen went under. A second later, Meowth flew out of the water.

Pikachu took that moment to use a Thunderbolt and sent Meowth flying off. "Good job, everyone.' Misty said.

"Well, seems you were able to handle this without me." Ash said as he appeared over the cliff the others had just came from. Pikachu jumped onto Ash's shoulder. "Nice job, Misty."

"It was no problem. Clefairy, are you okay?' Misty asked the pink Pokémon who seemed to nod and then Misty turned to Seymour. Before she could ask though, a Geodude appeared and Seymour screamed.

"That Geodude is a monster!" Seymour called out. "Attacks everything."

_**"Monster?! I'm champion of this mountain." **_Geodude said, and then looked at Ash and held up one hand. _**"I want to battle you."**_

Pikachu translated to Ash. Ash nodded. "Okay Geodude, let's battle, but if I win, you're joining my team as my Pokémon and friend." Ash said.

_**"No chance of that happening with that rat." **_Geodude taunted.

Pikachu jumped off Ash's shoulder, standing in front of him before Ash could take out Shellder's Poké Ball. _"This one is mine." _Pikachu told Ash, not liking the comment Geodude had said about him.

"If you want to do it buddy, lets go. Quick Attack." Ash commanded and Pikachu zoomed towards Geodude. "Iron Tail." Before Pikachu hit with the Quick Attack, he transferred to Iron Tail, using the speed from the Quick Attack to make it stronger.

Geodude held up his arm to defend himself from the attack but was still thrown. _**"Not bad." **_Geodude said, but then came at Pikachu with his arm glowing, hitting Pikachu with it.

"What move was that?" Ash asked himself since Brock's Geodude hadn't used it, but didn't pause any longer as Geodude came at Pikachu with a Rollout attack. "Dodge." Ash said and Pikachu jumped over Geodude.

It went like this for a while with Pikachu dodging Geodude's Rollout and Ash knew he needed a plan. Then Ash remembered he was near a small river. "Pikachu, over there; face the river." Ash pointed at a location and Pikachu went to it.

Geodude came at Pikachu with a Rollout. "Iron Tail!" Ash ordered and Pikachu's tail glowed, hitting Geodude right before Geodude hit him. Geodude went flying right into the water.

Geodude ran out a second later and looked tired. Ash had had a blank Poké Ball out thinking that was it, and threw it at Geodude. Geodude used Defense Curl right before the Poké Ball hit him. The Poké Ball shook once and then twice and then Geodude popped out.

Geodude's arm lit up and then went to hit Pikachu who barely dodged, getting hit a bit. "Iron tail." Ash said and Pikachu hit Geodude in the back. Geodude was down and Ash threw another Poké Ball. This time it shook three times and then Geodude was captured.

Ash ran over and held out the pokeball. "I caught a Geodude!" he cheered, getting into his signature pose with Pikachu jumping onto his shoulder.

"You caught a Geodude?" the group heard a voice say and everyone turned around to see Brock coming down.

"Yeah, it was a pretty awesome battle too. What was the move Geodude used?" Misty asked and Ash shrugged and took out his Pokédex to check Geodude's move set.

"Defensive Curl, Tackle, Mud Sport, Rollout, and the egg move of Hammer Arm which he is able to use," Ash said. "That must be the move Geodude used." Ash smiled about his new catch, putting the Poké Ball away, deciding to let Geodude rest for a while. "Hey Brock, you got a potion for Pikachu?"

"Yeah, come here." Brock replied, taking Pikachu and taking out a potion to spray on his injuries. He then took out food for everyone, including the Pokémon waiting.

"So Brock, did you shut off the lights?" Ash asked and Brock nodded.

"I made sure they couldn't be put back on too." Brock told him and everyone ate, Ash smiling to himself. Besides the run-in with the idiotic motto-saying Team Rocket, it hadn't been a bad day. He had caught a new member of his team that was very different from his other three members. He liked the way his team was shaping up so far.

That was when the Clefairy that was with them jumped up and then made a signal for them to follow her. The group looked at each other and then put their stuff away to follow the Clefairy.

Clefairy brought them to another cave and inside was a large round stone. "The Moon Stone." Seymour whispered and everyone stood in awe.

Another one came up and the two Clefairy talked. _"They are going to let us watch as a thank you for saving one of their own." _Pikachu told Ash as the Clefairy started dancing around the Moon Stone.

"What do you think they are doing?" Misty asked.

"I don't know." Brock said.

_"They are thanking the Moon Stone and the spirits of the moon. It an evolution ceremony. Many of them want to evolve tonight by touching the Moon Stone." _Pikachu said but Ash didn't say anything. _"Okay fine." _Pikachu jumped off Ash's shoulder and made moves as though he was trying to translate what was going on to him.

"They are praying to it." Ash said.

_"Not exactly," _Pikachu said. _"But close enough." _Pikachu was about to jump back onto Ash's shoulder.

As Seymour began one of his rants again, Team Rocket suddenly appeared. Seymour started yelling at them and Ash took out a Poké Ball and ordered Shellder to use Water Gun. Seeing what he was doing, Misty released Staryu for Water Gun too. Pikachu took that moment to send a Thunderbolt at them, sending them flying away.

"Apparently Water Gun and Thunderbolt are a good combination to get rid of them." Ash said as he barely heard them yell "Team Rocket's blasting off again!"

.

The ceremony continued and ended with a number of the group evolving. _"Ash, this Clefairy wants to talk to you." _Pikachu said and pointed his tail at a Clefairy. Ash went over to her and the Celfairy pointed to a small piece of the Moon Stone. _"She's giving it to you. As a thank you for all you did."_

"Thank you." Ash said picking up the piece and putting it in his bag.

Seymour then expressed his desire to stay with the Clefairy and Ash asked Pikachu if the Pokémon were okay with that. Apparently they were, so the three walked away down a road.

"Well that was interesting." Misty said. "At least we got to see a cool Pokémon."

"Yeah. You know, Celfairy are Fairy-type pokemon." Brock said.

"Fairy type? I thought they were normal type." Ash asked, taking out his Pokédex to check out Clefairy's entry and finding out that Fairy was great against rock type. "Damn, having one of those on my team would have been awesome."

"You do know there is no law against catching them. Mount Moon is not a protected area." Brock said.

"And have Seymour following us around, yelling for us to return the Clefairy to where it belongs? I think I'll pass." Ash muttered and the group laughed.

_"I bet he would too." _Pikachu added to Ash.

The group continued walking until they reached a sign telling them that Cerulean City was ahead. Also on the sign, in tiny print, were the words, "Gary was here. Ash is a loser" . "Seriously, what a jerk!" Ash yelled as he started running in the direction the sign pointed to. Misty and Brock looked at each other, not sure who Gary was.

As Ash ran, he didn't notice a male Nidoran sitting in the middle of the road. He tripped over the pokemon and as he fell, one of his blank Poké Balls rolled off his belt and right at Nidoran. It hit the Nidoran, got bigger and then sucked the pokemon in. The Poké Ball shook once and then again and then Nidoran was captured.

Pikachu who had fallen off of Ash's shoulder as Ash ran off, was about to yell at Ash until he saw that and laughed. Misty and Brock who had caught up in enough time to see it happened also started to laugh. "It's not funny." Ash complained, but truthfully he was hiding a smile too.

"Well look at the bright side. You got a fifth member to your team." Misty told him, picking up the Poké Ball and handing it to Ash.

Ash took it and smiled. "Unusual way to capture a pokemon but it works." Ash said.

"How about you calm down and tell us who this Gary is." Brock said. "We can eat breakfast while we talk."

Ash nodded, letting out his Pokémon as Brock and Misty did the same. His two new members were introduced to Scyther and Shellder and the two were informed by the Pokémon about Pikachu's mental link with Ash.

Ash had Pikachu talk to Nidoran to see if Nidoran wanted to be releasedm but it turned out that Nidoran had wanted a trainer anyway. "So this Gary?" Misty asked and Ash told them about his rival.

_"Don't worry, Ash. We can beat this jerk." _Pikachu told Ash when he heard that and went to go tell Scyther who was doing more excerises a bit away about him. They had to prepare the new members' training and Scyther was good at that.

"I remember him. He came in a few days before you and battled me. Used a Squirtle to beat me." Brock said.

"So Squirtle was his starter that he was making such a big deal about." Ash muttered, rolling his eyes. "Anyway he just sort of makes me angry."

"I understand. I know people like that." Misty said.

As the humans talked, Ash's Geodude had noticed Brock's Geodude and his Onix. Punching the air Ash's Geodude decided it was time for a battle and went to go pick one. The sounds of the attack caught the humans' attention and they turned around to see a fight.

"Geodude!" Ash yelled and the fight stopped and both Geodudes turned to face Ash.

"That could be a problem.' Ash stated, realizing the problem with having two Geodudes in the group. Ash talked to his Geodude about not picking fights with any of the Pokémon since he was sure and Pikachu confirmed that Geodude started it. "Now you're going to need a nickname."

Ash sat there looking at his Pokémon. "Is it bad the only nickname I can think of is Rocky?" Ash asked. Geodude gave him a dirty look and punched the air. "Okay, not Rocky." Ash got that Geodude didn't like the name.

"How about Peter?" Misty asked. "It means "rock'."

"Do you like Peter?" Ash asked.

_**"Fine." **_The newly named Peter said and Pikachu translated for Ash.

"Peter it is," Ash said.

It wasn't long later that the group was walking again. "Wait, we're heading towards Cerulean City?" Misty asked, stopping when she realized.

"Yeah, that's where the next gym is." Ash said, turning towards his friend.

"But… but…. there's a gym in Vermilion City and it's right on the water and there are lots of neat Pokemon, and we can watch the giant yachts pulling into the harbor – and there's a little place way up on the hill where you can sit and watch the sunset that's so romantic," Misty said.

"Vermilion City Gym is the electric gym," Brock told her. "Cerulean City is the water. You should want to avoid the Vermilion City Gym. That will be hard for you."

"Misty, what's wrong? Why don't you want to Cerulean City?" Ash asked, thinking his friend's reaction was weird.

"I… I… don't want to go back there!" Misty blurted out, making the two look at her.

"Back?" Ash asked.

"I told my sisters I wouldn't be back until I was a water pokemon master and then left the gym," Misty said. "If I go back now they will make fun of me. You see Cerulean City Gym is my family gym. After my parents' death, my sisters took it over. I can't get the badge there even if I wanted to. It's against league rules for me to get it."

"Then how can you get eight badges?" Ash asked.

"There are more then eight gyms. Every region is supposed to have one gym for each type of pokemon. Kanto is missing two, a dragon gym and a ghost gym," Misty said. "We can go to a different gym to get our eight badges and avoid Cerulean City."

Ash looked at Misty. "I want the Cerulean City Gym. I know Gary went that way and there is a reputation. It's considered one of the best gyms in Kanto, but you don't have to come with me. I'll go to the gym and get the badge and meet up with you later."

"That reputation is old." Misty warned as she nodded her head, thinking about what Ash would find when he got to the gym and wondering if she should warn him more. Before she could say anything else, Ash and Brock had already continued on to Cerulean City.

-PM-

Brock and Ash entered Cerulean City. "So this is the city," Ash said as he noticed a crowd. "What's going on?"

"Burglars broke into that store last night." a man told Ash.

"Burglars?" Ash asked and suddenly an Officer Jenny was on him, questioning him and then going nuts when Ash mentioned knowing the Jenny in Viridian. Ash had to show his ID to get her to back away. They found out the burglars took a vacuum and a giant hose.

They managed to get away. "Are all Jennys like that?" Ash asked.

"You mean beautiful?" Brock asked.

"I meant crazy." Ash said causing Brock to look at him. "I'm going to head to the gym and see what Misty's sisters are like. You coming?"

"While I'm sure that would be fun, I got something to do. Good luck Ash," Brock told him, walking off in a different direction.

Ash asked someone for directions to the gym and headed in that direction to see a giant building with a picture of a Seel above the door. "There it is," Ash said walking in to see some show going on. "Huh… I thought this was a gym."

_"I don't know Ash," _Pikachu said. _"But they're pretty good in the water." _The three finished their show to a lot of cheering and a confused Ash.

Ash walked around. "I don't get it Pikachu. This looks like an aquarium. How can this be a Pokemon gym?" Ash said as he looked around.

_"I don't know, but look at all the water Pokémon. I can see Misty in a place like this." _Pikachu told Ash and then they heard the three girls who had been swimming before talking.

"Um, excuse me," Ash said.

"I'm sorry we don't do interviews. You'll have to, like, call our manager." Lily said.

"No it's not…." Ash started but was again interrupted.

"We don't do autographs." the same girl said.

"I don't want one." Ash said as Pikachu told Ash _"These girls are idiots." _Ash ignored his starter's comment but kind of agreed with him. "Is this the Pokémon Gym?"

"It is." Daisy said.

"I'm looking for the gym leader." Ash told her.

"You're looking at them." Violet said.

_"So these are Misty's sisters." _Ash thought to Pikachu as the three went on about how they were the sensational sisters or something.

_"You know I don't see the resemblance at all," _Pikachu said.

"Well I challenge you to a battle." Ash said as he followed the sisters back to the swimming pool.

"We don't feel much like battling anymore." Daisy muttered, confusing Ash.

"But you're Gym Leaders. You have to battle!" Ash protested.

"We just got beaten three times in a row by kids from this nowhere place called Pallet Town." Violet told him.

"Hey, I take offense to "nowhere place". It is where the famous Professor Oak lives," Ash said angrily making the three and Pikachu look at him.

_"You realize they basically just said we're behind everyone." _Pikachu said.

_"Yeah, but who cares. As long as we get to the Pokémon League, it's not a race to see who finishes first." _Ash thought back. He might have cared at one time, but he had made great friends on his journey so far. If he had gone faster he might have not.

"Well anyway it was one defeat after another," Violet complained. "My eyes were spinning from all the losses."

"We had to rush all our Pokémon to the Pokémon Center." Daisy informed him.

"So when do you get them back? "Ash asked. "I'll come back when you're ready."

"There's no point to matches anymore. Now we have time to make ourselves more beautiful then ever.' Lily said.

_"I seriously do not see how these girls are related to Misty at all." _Pikachu muttered and Ash had to stop himself from laughing.

"This is a Pokémon Gym." Ash protested.

"Don't worry; I know what you want," Daisy said. "Seel!" A Seel came swimming over and hopped out of the pool, opening up his mouth. Inside was a small blue badge. "The Cascade Badge. This is what you came for, right? You can have it."

_"I thought they said they had no Pokémon left. That's a Pokémon," _Pikachu pointed out. _"You can not accept that badge."_

_"Wasn't going to." _Ash thought back and then told the sisters, "I can't take a badge I didn't earn. "

Daisy rolled her eyes. "Take it. A badge is a badge."

"No, there's a difference," Ash said. "I think I'll leave now."

"Hold it right there!" Ash heard a familiar voice and turned to see Misty standing on the benches, hands on her hips.

"Misty, I didn't think you wanted to come here." Ash was confused as Pikachu cheered seeing his friend.

Misty jumped down on the benches and right in-between them. "Had to see your battle. Figured I would hide in the stands and watch until you were done, but then I see this. Giving away badges. You'll ruin this gym." Misty turned to her sisters as she said the last part.

Daisy looked at Misty, not sure why her little sister had come, and then realized what Misty said and came to her own conclusions. "Oh, I see. Well he's not someone I would pick for a boyfriend, but your no prize yourself," Daisy said making Ash and Misty look at each other.

"With your looks you couldn't do any better." Violet taunted.

'Hey, Misty is beautiful on the inside and out, which is more then I can say for you three! You were right Mist, let's head to a different gym." Ash said deciding not even to argue with Misty's sisters that they weren't dating.

"Battle me for the badge," Misty said. "I'm one of the Sensational Sisters. You can battle me for it."

'There are only three Sensational Sisters and one runt." Lily stated, making Ash glare at her, but before he could say anything, Pikachu decided to give the sisters a little shock.

"Okay," Ash said. "Let's do this."

The two got on their sides of the battling field. Ash looked at the field. It was perfect for water Pokémon. Mostly all water besides a few platforms for non-water Pokémon to stand. "Two on two battle. No items allowed and only the challenger is allowed to substitute Pokémon." Ash nodded as Misty stated the rules for him.

"Misty calls Staryu." Misty said, throwing out the Starfish Pokémon.

"Pikachu I choose you!" Ash shouted, pointing his finger, but Pikachu didn't move.

"Pikachu?" Ash asked turning around to where Pikachu was sitting.

_"I can't battle Misty, Ash," _Pikachu thought. _"She's my friend. I don't want to battle a friend. I'm sorry."_

_"I understand." _Ash thought back.

"Pikachu, you're a real pika-pal!" Misty yelled out as Ash took out a Poké Ball.

"Scyther, I choose you." Scyther landed on one of the islands for land pokemon. He was a bit surprised to see he was battling Misty, but got ready to battle. "Quick attack!" Ash ordered and Scyther jumped across the platforms and sped off towards Staryu.

"Tackle!" Misty yelled and the two attacks met.

Scyther fell down and landed on an island. "Rapid Spin!" Misty ordered and Staryu spun towards Scyther.

"Wait for it…' Ash said. "Slash, now!" As Staryu got really close Scyther used Slash, knocking Staryu away.

"Bubble Beam." Misty said and the bubble attack came out, knocking Scyther back into the water. "In the water, Rapid Spin!" Staryu went under the water and used Rapid Spin, hitting Scyther and throwing him out of the water.

_"Go Misty!" _Pikachu cheered.

"You're supposed to be cheering for me!" Ash protested. " Wing Attack!" Ash called, and as Staryu got close, Scyther used the Wing Attack to knock Staryu back.

"Water Gun!" Misty called and a Water Gun came out of Staryu, hittingScyther who put his arms out to block the attack.

"Hold on, Scyther!" Ash called, not sure what to do until the Water Gun was stopped. Scyther moved his arms and a wind came up, knocking the Water Gun away and hitting Staryu. "What was that?" This time Pikachu didn't have an answer and Ash took out his Pokédex to see the move was Razor Wind. "Razor Wind again!" Ash called and Scyther used his new move again, hitting Staryu knocking it back.

"Staryu can you use Rapid Spin?" Misty asked, wondering if she had lost the first round but Staryu got up and used Rapid Spin.

"Focus Energy and then Wing Attack!" Ash called and Scyther used Focus Energy and then launched a Wing Attack. The two attacks hit and the two Pokémon fell backwards.

They stood there looking at each other. For a second it looked like Scyther was going to faint, but then he got himself up. At that moment Staryu fell over. "Staryu is unable to battle!" Daisy declared as Misty returned her Pokémon.

_**"That is one powerful Staryu." **_Scyther mumbled, taking deep breaths. Ash took out his Poké Ball.

"Take a rest," Ash said, returning Scyther. "Thank you."

"Misty calls Seel!" Misty shouted, letting out her Seel who landed in the water and looked at Ash.

Ash took out a Poké Ball. He really had no choice since Pikachu was unwilling to battle. Peter had a type disadvantage and both Peter and Nidoran were too untrained to battle anyway. "Shellder, I choose you." Ash said, releasing his water Pokémon who also landed in the water.

"This should be interesting," Misty said, looking forward to a water on water battle. "Headbutt."

"Tackle," Ash said and the two Pokémon swam at each other to deliver the attacks. The two attacks met with each other. "Razor shell." Shellder used Razor Shell, hitting Seel.

"Ice shard!" Misty ordered and Seel threw a chunk of ice at Shellder.

"Withdraw." Ash said and Shellder closed her shell to avoid damage from the ice. "Icicle Shard!" Ash ordered at the same time Misty said "Encore!"

.

Shellder threw out her first icicle by the time Seel's Encore took effect. "Aw…" Misty muttered. She had hoped the Encore would hit with the Withdraw because even with being able to use a defensive move Ash couldn't win with defense alone. "Dodge!" Misty called as the next two icicle shards came towards Seel. One hit his tail, but Seel managed to dodge the last two.

"Headbutt from under water," Misty called and Seel got under Shellder and used Headbutt, throwing Shellder up into the air. "Ice shard." Seel threw a frozen chunk of ice at Sheller while Shellder was in the air.

"Protect!" Ash called but Shellder threw out Icicle Shard. "What?"

_"Misty used Encore. Shellder can only use Icicle Shard." _Pikachu informed Ash as the two attacks hit. Shellder got throw into the water and then came back up.

"Shellder, get underwater. Get as close to Seel as possible and use Icicle Shard. Keep doing that." Ash told Shellder, who obeyed.

"Two can play at this game. Underwater, use Ice Shard and keep it up." Misty told Seel, who also went underwater.

It was a few minutes of the two just waiting there, looking at the water. The only indication of a battle was the moving water and parts of the pool getting frozen. Suddenly both pokemon floated up to the top, both unconscious.

"Both Shellder and Seel are unable to battle. The winner is Ash." Daisy said.

"I won?" Ash questioned, thinking it was a draw.

"Scyther," Misty said. "You can still technically call him out while both of my pokemon were knocked out." Misty informed Ash as she returned Seel and thanked him for a good battle and Ash did the same with Shellder. "It was a good battle, Ash."

"Yeah, Mist." Ash said as the two walked away and towards Misty sisters. They barely left the pool when Team Rocket came in with the stolen hose and vacuum.

As they started their motto, Pikachu powered up a Thunderbolt and shot it into the pool mixing it with the water as it hit into the machine. The machine blew up, sending Team Rocket flying away with a "We're blasting off again!"

"When will they learn?" Ash asked.

_"I will not listen to that motto again." _Pikachu said, jumping onto Ash's shoulder as Daisy gave him the Cascade Badge.

"Shellder and Scyther did great," Misty said with a smile. "I almost had you though."

"Oh please, Misty; if his Pikachu had battled you, you wouldn't have stood a chance with your water Pokémon." Daisy said.

Misty didn't say anything. "I'm taking on the League," Misty told them. "So I have to go again."

"You go on trying to be a Pokemon Trainer. You might as well be good at something since you will never be as talented as us." Lily said and Ash was about to say something back, but Misty held out her hand to stop him.

"You keep that up and you'll be seeing stars!" Misty growled.

"Chill out!" Violet said.

"Be careful Misty, and you know we love you," Daisy said and gave Misty a hug. "And, boyfriend. You be good to her, you hear?"

Misty and Ash's faces turned red. "He is not my boyfriend," Misty protested, but the sisters gave each other knowing looks as the two left.

"Misty, your sisters are…" Ash stopped himself not knowing what to say, but Misty just nodded her head. "I don't know how this gym has this reputation."

"You should have seen it when my father was in charge. He was amazing with water Pokémon. Even you and Pikachu would have had a hard time," Misty said. "He died in an accident along with my mom a couple years ago. I was 6 nearly 7 when it happened. My sisters they were on their journey, not training Pokémon like us. They never wanted to be trainers. They wanted to be stars. They had a movie deal in the making when it happened. The league contacted them. If they didn't come home and take over the gym and take care of me, it would have been closed down and I would have been in foster care. They gave up their dream to come here for me so they do have their good qualities. Even though they can be completely annoying."

"Well they know nothing about being gym leaders, but at least they did something right." Ash said, putting an arm around Misty.

"They were right about one thing. If Pikachu had battled, I wouldn't have stood a chance. How am I supposed to beat the Vermilion gym?" Misty asked.

"We'll figure something out. Me and Pikachu will help you," Ash said and Misty smiled.

:PM:

Brock had finally located the house he had tried to find and knocked on the door. A pretty girl with red hair answered it. "Brock?" the girl asked.

"I… I know this is out of the blue but my dad returned and I could finally start a journey so I decided to come see you,." Brock said, acting nervous. "May I come in?"

"Um… Brock… I'm sorry. I know we sort of were seeing each other for a while and we never really broke up when I moved, but I found a new boyfriend," the girl said. "And he's going to be over soon." Brock had a devastated look on his face. "I'm sorry Brock. Good luck on your journey."

The girl closed the door and Brock stood there for a minute before walking off and heading towards the gym. Once there he saw Misty and Ash walking and talking with each other and laughing.

"Hey Brocko, what's up?" Ash asked, seeing his friend.

"I don't want to talk about it. Let's leave," Brock said, turning around and heading for the way to leave Cerulean with Ash and Misty following. Brock silently vowed he would find a new girlfriend.

AN: That ends chapter three. Hope you all enjoyed.

**Ash's Pokémon**

**Scyther (M): Vaccum Wave, Quick Attack, Leer, Focus Energy, Pursuit, False Swipe, Agility, Wing Attack, Slash, Razor Wind Egg Move: Steel Wing (Locked).**

**Geodude (Peter) (M): Defense Curl, Tackle, Mud Sport, and Rollout. Egg move Hammer arm (unlocked)**

**Pikachu (M): Thunder Shock, Thunder Wave, Quick Attack, Thunderbolt, Iron Tail. Egg Move: Volt Tackle (locked)**

**Shellder (F): Tackle, Withdraw, Icicle Shard, Razor Shell, Protect, Clamp, Icicle Spear. Egg Move: Water Gun (unlocked)**

**Nidoran (M): Leer, Peck, Focus Energy, Double Kick. **

**Misty's Pokémon:**

**Staryu: Harden, Tackle, Water Gun, Rapid Spin, Recover, Bubble Beam. **

**Seel (M): Headbutt, Growl, Water Sport, Icy Wind, Encore, Ice Shard. Egg Move: Signal Beam(locked)**

**Goldeen (F): Peck, Tail Whip, Water Sport, Supersonic, Horn Attack**


	4. Chapter 4

A Different Path chapter 4

**Hi all! Dragonsrule18 and CharmedMilliE are back with our next installment of A Different Path! Hope you enjoy!**

The Path To The Pokémon League and Bulbasaur And The Hidden Village

"I can't wait to get to Vermillion City!" Misty said happily as they walked along the trail. "I heard they have a luxury cruise ship and I HAVE to see that!"

"And I can't wait to battle at the Vermillion Gym." Ash said. "Lt. Surge is one of the toughest gym leaders. He was a commanding officer in the war and not many can defeat him."

"Who will you use to battle Lt. Surge?" Brock asked.

"I'm thinking Geodude, and Nidoran or Pikachu. I checked out the Gym Rater website a while back and I found out that Raichu, while having really strong attack and high defense, isn't so good with speed. Pikachu and Nidoran are my fastest, so I'll have one of them face Raichu, and Geodude will do well against Voltorb. What about you, Misty? Do you know who you'll use?"

"I'm not sure." Misty admitted with a sigh. "This is going to be a really tough gym. Electrics are really good against water, and I'm not sure how to get around that."

"Your Seel might be able to learn some moves that are good against Electrics." Brock suggested. "And Staryu can learn Psychic moves, but I'm not sure how well it can fight outside water."

"Here, you can check my Pokédex." Ash offered. "It helped me teach Pikachu Iron Tail. The search feature might be able to show you some moves your Pokémon can learn and also how to teach it to them."

"Thanks." Misty said, taking it. But before she could use it, a trainer ran up to them, looking for a battle. Ash accepted and released Nidoran. Misty went back to the Pokédex, but a girl ran up, challenging her to a battle, and she accepted, putting Ash's Pokédex in her pocket and releasing Seel.

…...

"Wow, I can't believe how many trainers we've ran into today." Misty sighed, treating Seel with a potion. "How many have we faced so far? Nine?"

"Yeah, I think so." Ash said. "But it's a good thing. Our Pokémon needed some battle experience. Plus, we have plenty of Potions."

"Hey!" a boy yelled, running up to them with a Rattata. "I challenge you to a Pokémon Battle!"

"I accept." Ash said. He threw Scyther's Poké Ball. "Go, Scyther!"

For a second, the boy looked a little intimidated by the mantis Pokémon, but he continued on. "Go, Rattata!" His Rattata stepped forward. "Tackle!"

"Use Slash, Scyther!" Ash called. Scyther hit the Rattata with his claw. Due to the Rattata's low level, it was a one hit K.O.

"Oh no! Rattata!" the kid cried, recalling his Pokémon. "You did a great job." he whispered to the Poké Ball. He handed Ash his prize money and shook his hand. "You're a great trainer. I bet you could even beat AJ!"

"AJ?" Ash asked.

The kid nodded. "Yeah, he lives right over there." He pointed behind him. "AJ trains savage Pokémon. He even built his own gym! And he's never lost a single match."

"Wow, he sounds incredibly strong." Ash murmured. "I'm gonna challenge him. Maybe I can break his streak."

"I'll take you there." the kid volunteered.

"Thanks." Ash told him.

The kid took them to the gym, a huge pink and yellow dome with a large fence around it. "Wow, this is a cool gym." Brock said.

"Ninety-eight wins. This guy's going to be tough to beat." Misty said.

"I know, but I want to try anyway." Ash told her.

"Are you my next victim?" a voice asked, and a boy who was about a year older than Ash with black and green hair, an orange and black shirt, and blue pants walked up to them.

"You must be AJ, the wild Pokémon trainer." Ash said.

"That's my job, but beating chumps like you is my hobby. Are you ready to lose?" AJ taunted.

"_That jerk." _Pikachu said angrily. _"Want me to shock some sense into him, Ash?"_

"_No, let's just shock him on the battlefield when we kick his butt, buddy." _Ash thought back.

They climbed onto the battlefield. "So which Pokémon will you choose for my ninety-ninth win?" AJ asked arrogantly.

"You haven't won yet." Ash said simply.

AJ looked at Ash a little strangely, some respect in his eyes. His new challenger hadn't responded with anger or arrogance, something he had come to expect of his challengers. Maybe this battle would be a real challenge.

"Sandshrew, go!" AJ called, releasing his starter.

"Sandshrew, huh?" Ash murmured. He reached for Shellder's Poké Ball. "Go Shellder!"

AJ smirked. Typical strategy; rely on type advantage. But Sandshrew's special training would negate that. "Sandshrew, Rollout!"

"Stop it with Water Gun!" Shellder shot off a Water Gun, but Sandshrew powered through it, taking barely any damage, before hitting Shellder and sending her back a few feet.

Ash gasped. "Huh?"

"Meet the only Sandshrew in the world that can withstand water." AJ said proudly. "Now Rollout again, Sandshrew!"

"Protect!" Ash called. Shellder put up her shield just in time and Sandshrew bounced off. "Now, use Ice Shard!" Ice hit Sandshrew five times, causing some damage.

"Shake it off and use Rollout!" AJ called.

"Dodge, then use Icicle Spear!" Ash called. Shellder got out of the way of the full force of the attack, but it glanced off her. She then used Icicle Spear, hitting Sandshrew three times.

Sandshrew was showing signs of tiring and AJ knew he needed to end it quickly. "Fissure Strike!" Sandshrew jumped in the air then punched the ground.

"Huh? What's…" Ash started before seeing a widening crack headed straight for Shellder. "Shellder, dodge!" Ash called frantically. But Shellder couldn't get out of the way in time and fell into the crack.

"Now finish it with Earthquake!" AJ ordered. Sandshrew punched the ground, unleashing a massive Earthquake and sending debris on top of Shellder, knocking her out.

"Shellder!" Ash cried, running to her and pulling her out of the crack. He sprayed a Revive on her and was relieved when she stirred. She cooed apologetically and gave him a sad look. "It's okay girl, you did great." Ash said softly, giving her a stroke before recalling her.

Ash turned to AJ. "Thank you for the battle. Your Sandshrew is really strong. How did you get its defense so high against water?"

"A lot of hard work and my own special training methods." AJ said proudly. "How long have you been a trainer, by the way?"

"A few weeks." Ash answered.

"You battled pretty well for someone who's only been training for a short amount of time, but I can see where you made your mistakes. For one, your Shellder, while great with attack and defense, lacks speed. And you shouldn't completely rely on type advantage." AJ explained.

"Thanks for the advice." Ash said.

"I'd like to challenge you to a battle too." Misty told AJ. AJ seemed pretty cocky about his Sandshrew, and Misty wanted to take him down a peg.

AJ nodded, then sprayed Sandshrew with a Hyper Potion. "Let's get started then."

"Go, Seel!" Misty called.

"Sandshrew, go!" AJ yelled. "Use Rollout!"

"Counter with Headbutt, then use Icy Wind!" Misty ordered. Seel slammed into Sandshrew with Headbutt, then used Icy Wind before Sandshrew could dodge, and Sandshrew took some damage.

"Earthquake, Sandshrew!" AJ ordered.

"Stop him with Icy Wind!" Misty called, but the attack that came out of Seel's mouth was much stronger than Icy Wind. It was a solid ray of ice that struck Sandshrew and sent it flying backwards. Seel had just learned Ice Beam.

Only Sandshrew's high defense kept it from fainting, and it shakily stood back up. "Use Rollout, Sandshrew!" AJ called desperately.

"Use Ice Beam to freeze the field!" Misty ordered. Seel shot an Ice Beam at the ground, and the field became solid ice and extremely slippery. "Now dodge using the ice!" Misty called. Seel dodged the attack by centimeters, and Sandshrew ran into the wall.

"Sandshrew, Earthquake!" AJ ordered, but Sandshrew slipped and slid on the field, unable to keep its balance.

Misty smirked. "Now finish it off with Ice Beam!" Seel shot off another Ice Beam, knocking Sandshrew out.

"Sandshrew!" AJ cried, running onto the field and spraying a revive and Hyper Potion on Sandshrew. It groaned and got up. AJ turned to Misty, handing her the prize money she had earned. "I completely underestimated you and got way too cocky, and so I lost. It seems I still have a lot to learn about being a trainer."

"You did a great job, Misty." Brock told her.

Ash nodded. "Freezing the field was ingenius. I'll have to teach Shellder that move. It would really help her on land."

Misty smiled, blushing a little. "Thank you. But really, it was Seel who did it. He learned Ice Beam just in time." She bent down and hugged Seel, who cooed happily.

The group said goodbye to AJ, then headed on their way towards Vermillion, and towards their next adventure.

…...

"This is the LAST time I'm letting you hold the map, Ash!" Misty complained as they waded through tall grass that came up to their waists. "Now we're completely lost!"

"Don't worry, I'm positive this way will take us back to the path." Ash said.

Pikachu sighed. _"No, you aren't." _Scyther, who Ash had decided to let out of his Poké Ball, sighed.

"Positive, huh?" Brock said sarcastically. He liked Ash, but his raven-haired friend had no sense of direction whatsoever.

"You said that half an hour ago! I'm tired." Misty muttered. She glared at Ash. "I told you to stick to the main road, but you just had to take a shortcut, didn't you?"

"Okay, okay, I'm sorry!" Ash told her. "You were right and I was wrong!"

"Good. Now give me the map and I'll get us out of here." Misty replied. Ash sheepishly handed her the map and Misty led them out of the tall grass.

They soon arrived at a river with some large rocks nearby. "Whew. Break time." Ash said, sitting down with Pikachu on his lap. The others quickly followed suit. Suddenly, they heard water splashing and movement in the grass. "What was that?" Ash asked, unable to get a good look at it through the grass. He reached for his Pokédex.

"**Oddish. This Pokémon is typically found wandering the forest, scattering pollen as it walks."**

Misty stood up to get a better look at the little blue Pokémon. "It's so adorable!" she cooed. "I'm gonna catch it!" She grabbed Staryu's Poké Ball. "Go, Staryu!" Staryu came out of the Poké Ball and landed in front of Oddish, who gasped in fear and started to run away.

"Use Water Gun!" Misty ordered. Staryu jumped in the river and shot a stream of water at the Oddish, which sent the little grass type flying, but it quickly got to its feet. "Good job!" Misty called. "Now use Tackle!" Staryu slammed into the Oddish, sending it to the ground.

"That weakened it!" Misty yelled triumphantly. "Gotta catch it now! Poké Ball, go!" She tossed a Poké Ball towards Oddish, but vines came out from behind a bush and knocked it away, then a Bulbasaur jumped out of the bushes, standing between Oddish and Staryu protectively.

"**Leave her alone! This is a safe place for injured and abandoned Pokémon and I will not let you harm my friends!" **Bulbasaur yelled.

Pikachu's eyes widened and he translated the message to Ash, who walked up. "Misty, I think Bulbasaur's protecting Oddish. Let's leave them alone." he told his red-headed friend. Bulbasaur looked at him in shock, then went to check over Oddish, keeping an eye on the trainers.

Misty nodded and recalled Staryu. She watched, feeling guilty, as Bulbasaur said something to Oddish, then helped her to her feet and led her away.

The group came to a bridge and began crossing it, hoping to find a way back to the main road. Just as they reached the middle, they heard an ominous creaking sound. A critical support rope snapped and everyone screamed as the bridge swayed and tilted on its side. Ash grabbed a rope and Misty and Pikachu grabbed hold of him, but Brock wasn't so lucky. He lost his grip and fell off the bridge. Ash, Misty, and Pikachu screamed and Scyther dived down towards him to catch him, but there was no way he could make it in time…

Suddenly, green vines wrapped around Brock, stopping his fall. It was Bulbasaur. The Seed Pokémon pulled Brock up and set him gently on the bank before turning to the others.

Scyther rushed up to his endangered friends and very carefully wrapped his arms around Misty's waist, making sure not to hurt her with his blades. But Misty refused to let go of Ash.

"Misty, let go of me and grab onto Scyther!" Ash called and finally Misty let Ash go and wrapped her arms around Scyther's neck. The Bug Pokémon carried her to where Brock and Bulbasaur were waiting.

The rope Ash was clinging to suddenly began to fray, and Ash managed to push Pikachu safely onto the solid part of the bridge. He tried to pull himself up too, but the rope snapped and he began to fall.

"_**Ash!" **_Brock, Misty, Pikachu and Scyther screamed. Bulbasaur shot out his vines and caught Ash, pulling him to safety. Pikachu ran across the destroyed bridge and leapt on Ash's shoulder, nuzzling him and checking him over to see if he was okay.

"_**What in the world were you doing on that bridge? Didn't you read the sign? If I hadn't been here, you guys would have been fish food!" **_Bulbasaur yelled.

"_**Sign? What sign?" **_Pikachu asked, mentally translating Bulbasaur's words to Ash.

Bulbasaur was about to reply when a blue-haired young woman came running up to them. "I heard a huge crash and a lot of screaming. What happened?" she asked in concern.

"The bridge collapsed." Brock told her. "Bulbasaur saved our lives."

"Why were you even on that bridge? There was safety tape and a sign on it saying that it was out." the woman asked. "That bridge has been out for months. It's far too dangerous to cross."

"There was no sign or safety tape." Misty told her. "We wouldn't have crossed if there had been."

"How in the world…" the woman muttered, looking across and seeing that the group was telling the truth. She turned back to the group. "Is everyone all right?"

"Thanks to Bulbasaur and Scyther, yes." Ash reassured her.

"Phew, that's good." the woman said. "I'm Melanie, by the way."

"I'm Brock, and this is Ash and Misty." Brock told her, grinning just a bit goofily. Melanie was amazingly beautiful after all.

"We're looking for Vermillion City, but my friend here got us a little lost." Misty added, pointing to Ash, who looked sheepish.

"Easy to do in a place like this." Melanie said with a laugh. "Come back to my cabin with me and I'll give you some directions. I'll make a pot of tea too. I think you guys need it after the scare you had."

"Thank you." Ash said gratefully.

Melanie smiled. "You're welcome. Just do me a favor and don't try to capture any Pokémon here. I created a sanctuary for injured and abandoned Pokémon and I don't want them to be bothered while they're trying to recover."

"We won't." Brock assured her. Ash and Misty were quick to say the same. "Are you a Pokémon doctor, Melanie?"

"No, but…" Melanie was cut off by Misty accidentally springing a trip wire. A net sprang up from the ground and wrapped around her, pulling her up into a tree.

"What the- What's a trap doing here?! Someone get me down!" Misty screamed, wriggling. Scyther cut the rope holding the net and Misty dropped out of the net. Ash ran to catch her, but she landed on top of him, sending them both to the ground.

"Sorry." Melanie said sheepishly as Misty got off Ash's back and helped her dazed friend up. "I was the one who set that trap. I wanted to catch Pokémon trainers before they reached the village so they couldn't capture the injured Pokémon here. There are other traps around here too."

"_Okay, that is the most dangerous and ridiculous idea I have ever heard." _Pikachu thought to Ash, who gave a slight nod.

"You can't just trap people! Someone could get hurt!" Misty protested. "If you want to keep the Pokémon in this area protected, call the Pokémon League. They can make this an official sanctuary and set up signs saying that it's illegal to catch Pokémon here."

"I never thought about that." Melanie admitted. "Thank you. I'll take down the traps and call them right away."

As they walked to the cabin, Brock and Melanie got into a discussion on Pokémon care and breeding, which both were extremely interested in. Melanie was impressed by Brock making his own Pokémon food, and even asked for some of his recipes. Misty smiled knowingly and Ash, Pikachu and Scyther just shrugged.

At the cabin, there was Pokémon everywhere, mostly forest types like Rattata, Paras, Caterpie, and the Oddish from earlier. They were all peacefully relaxing and eating. Melanie bent down to pet a Paras. "This is a place for Pokémon to just rest and recover. They don't battle one another here." She went inside to brew a pot of tea and the others followed.

…...

What the group didn't know was that danger lurked on the horizion. Team Rocket was up to their old tricks, spying on the village with binoculars from across the bridge. Earlier that day, they had removed the safety tape and "Bridge Out" sign thinking it was a trick, then had to duck out of the way as the twerps that were constantly foiling their plans approached. Apparently, the "Bridge Out" sign had been legit, so Team Rocket had to rework their plan, and had come up with another that was "completely foolproof."

"The village we're looking for should be on the other side of this bridge." Jessie said with an evil smile.

"Let's just hope the rumors are true." James replied.

Meowth laughed. "Just you wait and see what Team Rocket has planned for you, you delicious little village!"

…...

Later, Ash, Misty, and Brock offered to help Melanie with the Pokémon and she happily accepted. Brock took a dipper full of water mixed with a herbal medicine and poured it on a Staryu. "Feel better now, Staryu?" Ash asked and Staryu gave a little leap and a coo.

Meanwhile, Misty was talking to Oddish. "I'm sorry about what happened in the forest." she said softly. "I shouldn't have surprised you like that. You must have been scared." Oddish looked up at her and nodded. "Melanie told me your trainer abandoned you. Whoever it was, they were a real jerk to abandon a wonderful Pokémon like you." Oddish looked at her with teary eyes. The little Oddish had been abandoned by her trainer after being unable to defeat the rock gym, and she could still remember the disgust in his eyes as he walked away. She had blamed herself for the abandonment, even though Bulbasaur had repeatedly told her it was not her fault. And now this girl was saying the same, and apologizing for scaring her. Maybe she could begin to trust trainers again.

"Some trainers can be insensitive, but we're not all like that." Misty told Oddish, gently stroking Oddish's head. "You just need to find a trainer that understands you. Anyway, I'm sorry for what I did, and I hope we can become friends." Misty murmured, ashamed that she had hurt a Pokémon that had been hurt so much already. Tears filled Misty's eyes, and Oddish gently wiped them away with her leaves. "You're sweet, Oddish." Misty told her. "It seems all I've thought about lately is winning." She sighed. "I hope I'm not becoming heartless."

"Misty, you're one of the nicest people around." Ash said, walking up to her with Pikachu behind him. "You're the furthest thing from heartless."

Misty blushed a little. "Thanks, Ash." Suddenly Bulbasaur ran up and moved protectively between Oddish and Misty, growling.

"Bulbasaur, we're not going to hurt Oddish." Ash said soothingly. Bulbasaur looked up at him suspiciously, trying to figure out if he was telling the truth or not.

"_**Bulbasaur, Ash is telling the truth." **_Pikachu reassured him. _**"They promised you and Melanie that they wouldn't try to catch any Pokémon here and they'll keep their promise. We didn't know that this was a sanctuary before. Ash and Misty are good trainers. They would NEVER hurt or abandon a Pokémon. Trust me, I've known bad trainers and Ash and Misty are nothing like them."**_

"_**And I like Misty." **_Oddish put in. _**"I don't blame her for trying to capture me. I went out of the property and she simply thought I was a wild Pokémon."**_

Bulbasaur thought this over carefully, then gave Ash a nod. Ash HAD stopped the red-haired girl when he realized Bulbasaur was simply protecting Oddish and she had listened. He'd still keep an eye on them, just in case, but if Oddish trusted them…

"Is Bulbasaur your Pokémon?" Ash asked Melanie.

"No, but ever since he arrived here, he's been protecting the injured Pokémon here from anyone that tries to harm them. He guards the whole village and makes sure everyone is safe."

Ash looked at Bulbasaur in admiration. "Wow, that's real dedication."

Melanie smiled, picking up and hugging Bulbasaur. "Yes it is. He's the bravest and most loyal Pokémon I know."

Suddenly, they heard a loud rumbling and a huge shadow blocked out the sun.

…...

The group looked up to see Team Rocket come in on a giant stadium which was somehow held up by six balloons. The trio of idiots began going over their motto.

"_Darn, they're too high to reach with Thunderbolt." _Pikachu complained.

"Who are those guys?" Melanie asked.

"Team Rocket." Ash growled as the flying stadium landed.

"Welcome to the Jessie Stadium for the Team Rocket Pokémon Challenge!" Jessie taunted.

"The flying stadium was my idea!" James argued. Jessie rubbed the back of her neck sheepishly. A giant vacuum hose came out of the stadium and turned on, sucking the smaller Pokémon towards it.

"All Pokémon are invited to come into the stadium." Jessie taunted.

"Yeah, we're not hosing ya. Well, maybe we are!" Meowth added with an evil grin.

Ash grabbed a Staryu that was about to get sucked into the machine as Scyther grabbed a Rattata. "Do these guys ever run out of ideas?"

"Everyone get into the cabin!" Brock yelled, grabbing Pikachu and holding the door open as Melanie and Scyther ran in, followed by all the other Pokémon.

Oddish started to get sucked into the machine. Misty made a grab for her but missed. "No! Oddish!" she screamed. Bulbasaur rushed forward and grabbed Oddish with his vines. He tried to get them to the cabin but the vacuum was beginning to pull him backwards.

"Take Staryu!" Ash called to Misty, running back for Bulbasaur and pushing him towards the cabin. Bulbasaur turned and looked at him gratefully. Brock held the door open for him as Ash pushed Bulbasaur into the cabin.

"That little pest! Why does he always have to ruin our flawless plans!" Jessie ranted as Misty slammed the cabin door shut.

"Not this time." James said smugly. "He's gathered them all into one place for us."

"And our Super Vacuum will suck them up!" Meowth added.

The hose went to above the roof and the vacuum increased in power. Bulbasaur jumped out the window and climbed up onto the roof, trying to swat the vacuum hose away.

Ash, Scyther and Pikachu ran out after him. "Scyther, go up and use Razor Wind! See if you can cut the hose!" Ash called. Scyther flew up, using Razor Wind on the side of the hose and cutting it off.

"Go, Shellder!" Ash called, releasing Shellder. The Water Type looked up at him. "Shellder, use Water Gun into the hole! Pikachu, use Thunderbolt!" The electricity followed the stream of water up, destroying the vacuum mechanism. It also hit a vital(and explosive) part of the engine.

Team Rocket just happened to be standing on the safety hatch and felt a rumble underneath them. "What the…" Jessie started. Then a shockwave came through, blowing through the safety hatch and blasting Team Rocket into the air.

"We're blasting off again!" Team Rocket yelled as they became a tiny speck in the distance.

…...

"Is everyone all right?" Melanie asked as they left the cabin.

"We're fine thanks to Bulbasaur, Shellder, Scyther, and Pikachu." Ash said, smiling at the Pokémon. They smiled back. "The village is well protected with Bulbasaur here."

"Ash, don't you agree that Bulbasaur would be an excellent addition to your team?" Melanie asked.

"Well, yeah, but…" Ash started.

"I think Bulbasaur should go with you." Melanie said.

"Huh?" Ash exclaimed.

Melanie picked up Bulbasaur and hugged him. "Bulbasaur stayed here to protect the weaker Pokémon, but the village is too small. The bulb on his back can't grow here. He needs to go out into the world now, and I know you'll take good care of him. Please, do me this favor. Take Bulbasaur with you on your journey. I know he'll be a good companion." She held out Bulbasaur to Ash.

"But what will happen to the village without Bulbasaur?" Misty asked.

"Yeah, who's going to protect you?" Brock asked.

"It's true Bulbasaur's done a great job. Maybe TOO great of a job. You see, Pokémon aren't supposed to remain in the village forever and ever. After they recover, Pokémon are supposed to leave, but it's too safe here, so none of them want to go away. They don't want to return to the outside world, but I think it's important that they all go back to the wild. That's where Pokémon belong. And hopefully someday, they'll run into great trainers like you." Melanie told them. "Taking care of sick Pokémon will always be my mission, but I know my job isn't finished until they return to where they came from. So it's the day a Pokémon leaves that is most rewarding to me."

Melanie held Bulbasaur out to Ash. "Please, take Bulbasaur with you. He won't be a burden. I promise. I want him to be in a place were he can grow strong and happy. And I think that place is with you, Ash."

Ash looked at Bulbasaur. "What do you think, Bulbasaur? Would you like to join me?"

Bulbasaur leapt out of Melanie's arms and took a battle stance. _"He says he'll join you…. If you can beat him in a Pokémon battle." _Pikachu translated.

Ash smiled. "All right then. Shellder! Go!" He threw Shellder's Poké Ball and the Bivalve Pokémon landed in front of him. "Use Icicle Spear!" Bulbasaur dodged the attack, then reached out and grabbed Shellder with Vine Whip.

"Withdraw!" Ash called, and Shellder withdrew into her shell just before Bulbasaur slammed her into the ground. "Now use Icicle Spear on the vines to make him let you go!" Shellder shot an Icicle Spear at the vines, and Bulbasaur flinched back, then ran at Shellder in a Tackle attack.

"Now use Icicle Shard while he's close!" Ash ordered. Sharp pieces of ice came out of Shellder's shell, doing some damage to Bulbasaur and sending him back. Bulbasaur fell, but got up quickly. He shot some sharp leaves from his bulb.

"Protect!" Ash yelled, and Shellder put up her shield just in time. "Now combine Tackle with Razor Shell!" Using Tackle to strengthen her attack, Shellder slammed her shell shut, spinning rapidly and slamming into Bulbasaur. Bulbasaur fell to the ground, not getting up this time. Ash tossed a Poké Ball at Bulbasaur, sucking him inside. He held his breath as it rattled, once, twice, three times, then clicked shut.

"Yes! We caught Bulbasaur!" Ash cheered, doing his victory pose. "Good job, Shellder." he told his water Pokémon, giving her a potion and petting her before returning her to her Poké Ball.

Ash let Bulbasaur out so he could say goodbye to Melanie. "I'll miss you, Bulbasaur." Melanie murmured, tears in her eyes as she hugged Bulbasaur. "Thank you for watching over us."

"I promise I'll take good care of him." Ash reassured her.

"Melanie, I've been thinking…" Brock started, a blush on his face.

"Yes?"

"Since Bulbasaur's leaving, I wouldn't mind staying and helping you out." Brock offered.

"That's very kind of you, but I'll be okay. I don't want to keep you from all your fun adventures." Melanie told him.

"Oh…right." Brock replied, looking a bit downcast.

"Bye Melanie!" Ash called as they set off.

"Have a safe trip!" she called back.

Suddenly they heard a little voice calling "Oddish! Oddish!" The group turned to see Oddish running up to them. She cooed and jumped into Misty's arms.

"Hi there!" Misty said with a smile. "Does this mean you want to come with me?" Oddish cooed again and nodded. Misty took out a Poké Ball and tapped it on Oddish's head. The little grass type was sucked in without even a struggle. "I promise I'll always take good care of you." Misty whispered to the Poké Ball.

And so with two new Pokémon by their side, Ash, Misty, Brock headed for Vermillion City, wondering what adventures would happen next.

**Ash's ****Pokémon**

****

**Scyther (M): Vaccum Wave, Quick Attack, Leer, Focus Energy, Pursuit, False Swipe, Agility, Wing Attack, Razor Wind, Slash. Egg Move: Steel Wing (Locked).**

**Geodude (Peter) (M): Defense Curl, Tackle, Mud Sport, and Rollout. Egg move Hammer Arm (unlocked)**

**Pikachu (M): Thunder Shock, Thunder Wave, Quick Attack, Thunderbolt, Iron Tail. Egg Move: Volt Tackle (locked)**

**Shellder (F): Tackle, Withdraw, Icicle Shard, Razor Shell, Protect, Icicle Spear, Clamp. Egg Move: Water Gun (unlocked)**

**Nidoran (M): Leer, Peck, Focus Energy, Double Kick. No egg move.**

**Bulbasaur (M): Tackle, Growl, Vine Whip, Poison Powder, Sleep Powder, Take Down, Razor Leaf, Sweet Scent, Growth, Double Edge and Worry seed. Egg move: Nature Power (Locked)**

**Misty's ****Pokémon****:**

**Staryu: Harden, Tackle, Water Gun, Rapid Spin, Recover, Bubble Beam. No Egg Move**

**Seel (M): Headbutt, Growl, Water Sport, Icy Wind, Encore, Ice Shard, Ice Beam. Egg Move: Signal Beam.**

**Goldeen (F): Peck, Tail Whip, Water Sport, Supersonic, Horn Attack, Egg Move: no egg move**

**Oddish (F): Absorb, sweet scent, acid, poison powder. Egg Move: Razor Leaf **


	5. Chapter 5

A Different Path

**Hi all! Dragonsrule18 and CharmedMilliE are back with another chapter! We also have two lovely challenges we thought up for anyone who wants to take them!**

**Unova Rewrite Challenge: Instead of Cilian and Iris becoming Ash's traveling companions, Misty returns and Brock decides to stay with Ash.**

**Rules: **

**1\. Ash will keep his skills as a trainer (basically no throwing pokeballs at random pokemon to catch them without battling first)**

**2\. Ash will use more then just the pokemon he caught in Unova.**

**3\. Brock and Misty will be Ash's traveling companions. (You can decide how this happens and why they both decide to go with Ash, but they both must travel with him.)**

**4\. It will be Pokeshipping (for those unfamiliar with the term it means the pairing of the story will be Ash/Misty)**

**5\. Cilan and Iris will not travel with Ash. They can appear in the story for small parts but not as a main traveling companion. (Note this rule does not apply to May and Dawn so if you want to include them you can.)**

**6\. No Super Ash (this means Ash can not be perfect. He can not win every battle he fights and if you include psychic or aura powers he can not be all powerful in them**

**Keeping My Promise: Johto Rewrite Challenge:**

**In the anime, Ash promised to return for Pidgeot after he did his errand for Professor Oak in Orange Islands, but he never did. But what would change if he had kept that promise? This, my dear friends, is the purpose of this challenge.**

**Rules:**

**Ash MUST return for Pidgeot right after the Orange Islands. Please make the first chapter Ash returning for Pidgeot after coming home from the Orange Islands.**

**Charizard must stay with Ash.**

**Ash must get Primeape back as well. It is up to you what to do about whether Haunter returns to Ash or stays with Sabrina.**

**Ash must get more mature throughout the series.**

**Ash must use all his Pokemon, not just the ones he captures in the region he's battling in.**

**No Super Ash! Make sure he loses battles sometimes. And if he has psychic or Aura powers, don't have him be a master of them immediately. Have him struggle to use or control his powers.**

**NO Ash/Pokemon, but all other pairings are welcome.**

**For those of you who want to take this challenge, let us know either by PM or in our forum, Poke Universe.**

**Hope you enjoy this chapter and please remember to review!**

Disclaimer: We do not own Pokémon.

Chapter 5: "Charmander The Stray Pokemon" and "Here Comes the Squirtle Squad"

Ash stood looking around with binoculars. 'Nothing but Spearow," Ash said as he looked for a Pokémon to catch.

"Why don't you catch one?" Brock asked from where he was sitting.

"NO!" Both Ash and Misty screamed right away, remembering their encounter with Spearows not so long ago. The reaction shocked Brock who hadn't been told about what had happened when the two first met.

_"No way will I help you catch a Spearow," _Pikachu said, also remembering that horror.

_"It's not happening. Don't worry," _Ash thought back.

"According to this map, there should be a Pokémon Center around here somewhere," Misty said. "Good thing too. We've been searching for Vermilion for ten days and I could use a bed and a bath." Misty was looking forward to her next battle and a little scared since it was an electric gym. Her biggest weakness. She did have her Oddish to help though.

The two had spent a lot of time training. Peter had learned Rock Throw and was trying to get Magnitude down. So far, he couldn't get it too\ a high level, which was frustrating him, but Ash, kept telling him to keep trying. Nidoran had learned Poison Sting. For Bulbasaur, Ash had looked into how to unlock his egg move. There seemed to be two different ways. One was through evolution, but Ash knew through Pikachu that Bulbasaur didn't want to evolve. The other way was through hard training, which he was more then willing to do. Pikachu also had interest in unlocking his egg move and had learned Agility. Scyther was being a big help with training everyone and hadn't learned a new move yet. Shellder was trying to learn Aurora Beam but was having trouble.

Misty's Seel, Staryu, and Oddish were working hard. Seel was trying to learn Drill Run for the up coming battle. Staryu had learned Gyro Ball and was trying to learn Camouflage. Oddish learned Stun Spore and Sleep Powder. Goldeen was willing to train, but it was hard to train her without a lake or a pool around.

The two continued walking and then came upon a clearing with a large rock. Sitting on the rock was a Charmander. Ash's eyes lit up when he saw that. When he had went to get his first Pokémon, he had wanted a Charmander but had been too late. He wouldn't trade what he got for the world though. He loved Pikachu, but here was a Charmander just sitting there and Ash wanted it.

Pikachu felt Ash's excitement. _"Want me to go talk to him?" _Pikachu asked. Ash nodded.

Pikachu jumped off Ash's shoulder and went to talk to Charmander. _"Sorry Ash, he is waiting for his trainer," _Pikachu told Ash as Brock and Misty were talking about the Charmander and Ash heard Brock mention about Charmander's tail flame.

"You're right he doesn't look good," Ash said going over to the rock and taking a potion out of his bag. Ash suddenly wondered how a trainer could leave a Pokémon like this.

"Charmander, I think it's supposed to rain tonight. You should come with us to the Pokémon Center." Charmander backed away. "Charmander, please. I'm not going to hurt you, but you need medical attention and to get some place safe."

Charmander seemed to calm down and looked at Ash. Ash put his hand on Charmander back wishing there was a way to make Charmander understand. Then he felt weird.

_"What was that? What is this human up to? I need to wait for my master. He said he would be back," _Ash heard a voice in his head that did not sound like Pikachu.

_"Pikachu, I think it happened again." _Ash sent to his starter.

_"What?" _Pikachu asked and then realized what Ash meant. _"Oh."_

_"Charmander," _Ash thought to the new voice and Charmander almost literally jumped a few feet in the air. Ash then explained about the mental link him and Pikachu had and that it seemed to have happened with Charmander as well.

_"I want to wait for my master," _Charmander said, sensing that the boy was sincere with him about not knowing how this link happened.

_"Ash, what are you doing?" _Misty asked and Ash realized he had spent a long time just staring at the Charmander.

_"Trying to figure out what this Charmander is waiting for," _Ash said even though he knew. He really had to find a way to tell his friends about the link without sounding insane.

_"Fine," _Piakchu said, getting in front of Ash and making movements as though he was trying to tell Ash what was going on. Charmander though was completely confused.

"He's waiting for his trainer," Ash said after a moment. "Charmander, what if I leave a note here?" Ash took paper and pen out of his bag and wrote 'Brought to Pokémon Center.' Ash then put the paper down and put a rock on top of it to make sure it couldn't blow away. "This way, if your trainer comes, he will know where you went and you can get the medical attention you need and to a safe place before it rains. I promise in the morning you can come back here if your trainer doesn't show."

Charmander could sense the truthfulness in Ash's words through the link and nodded, letting Ash pick up him. The truth was, Charmander was feeling really weak. Ash carried the Charmander and the three friends walked to the Pokémon Center.

Before they got there, the rain started and Ash had to literally run into the Pokémon Center as fast as he could. "I could have covered Charmander with my coat," Brock said when him and Misty walked in after.

"It was easier to…." Ash never finished as he heard an excited cry through the link from Charmander as someone over at a couch said 'You're the man, Damien."

_"My master," _Charmander thought, looking at a group of boys sitting on a couch who were looking at Poké Balls.

Ash started to walk towards them, knowing it was the trainer job to take care of Charmander now. "Yo, didn't you have a Charmander too?" someone asked.

"Yeah, I had one, but the puny thing couldn't defeat the weakness of opponents," Damien said and that made Ash stop walking. Charmander was shocked at hearing the words, but he didn't say anything out loud or mentally.

"So what did you do with the Charmander anyway?" the kid asked. No one in the group had seen Ash yet.

"Oh, I left it on some rock in the woods. That thing is so stupid! No matter what I do to it, it keeps following me. I finally got rid of it by promising I'd come back for it. It's probably still there, wagging its tail." Damien said.

"It's probably wag it until the flame goes out!" someone else said and everyone in the group laughed.

Charmander had had enough and let out a moan that turned everyone attention. Ash was standing there in anger and so were Brock and Misty_. "Let me at him, Ash!" _Pikachu growled from his spot on the floor, sparks coming out of his cheeks. Misty had gotten out her Misty Mallet, thinking she might find a use for it.

"See, so pathetic it can't even walk for itself," Damien sneered.

"You creep," Ash finally said. "You don't deserve Pokémon if at the first sign of weakness, you abandon them. I think this Charmander can be great. It just needs someone not as pathetic and stupid as you as its trainer."

"Big words from just a little kid. Want to fight? Oh yeah you can't. You have a lizard in your arms," Damien taunted and Ash wished he could throw a punch.

Brock stepped forward. "You looking for trouble?" Brock growled, ready to defend his friend and Misty stepped forward, her mallet out.

"Break it up!" Nurse Joy yelled, coming out. "No fighting in the Pokémon Center." Damien and his gang looked at each other and then grabbed their Poké Balls and left. "What happened to this Charmander?" Nurse Joy asked.

Ash then explained everything to Nurse Joy who then looked angry herself. "Wish I had let you hit him," Ash could have sworn he heard the Joy say as she got out a stretcher and put Charmander on it.

It was a while of waiting. Misty, seeing how worried Ash was, took his hand. "He'll be fine," Misty said and Ash nodded at her.

Not long later, Nurse Joy came out. "You got him in right in time. Any longer in this rain and he would have been in serious trouble. Right now he is resting," Nurse Joy told them.

"Can I go into his room?" Ash asked.

"Well, usually we only let the trainer into the room, but considering what happened, yes," Joy said. "But these two have to stay outside."

Ash looked at his friends. "Go on. We'll wait out here for you," Misty said.

Pikachu jumped onto Ash's shoulder. "I'm a Pokémon. She won't care about me going," Pikachu said and Ash followed Nurse Joy into the back.

As the two disappeared, Misty turned to Brock. "Ever notice how Ash is really in tune with Pokémon? I mean mostly with Pikachu, but he always seem to know what they want. Even if our Pokémon want something, he tells us sometimes," Misty said to Brock, wondering.

"Yeah. I'm sure he'll tell us when he's ready though," Brock told her.

Ash walked into the room where Charmander was sleeping. Ash sat on a chair in the room and watched Charmander. Eventually, he fell asleep on the chair.

Charmander woke up hours later and saw Ash asleep on the chair. He was shocked and wondered why this boy cared about him. _**"Hello," **_Charmander heard and saw the Pikachu he had been talking to before. _**"How are you feeling?" **_

_**"Much better," **_Charmander replied and then got sad. _**"My master left me. I am weak and pathetic like he said." **_

_**"Don't say that. You just need a better trainer," **_Pikachu said. _**"Tell me, where did Damien get you? Charmander are not usually found in the wild but I doubt you were his starter." **_

_**"I was bred in a center and bought by him," **_Charmander told Pikachu. _**"Now I am wild. I don't know how to live in the wild." **_

_**"I can tell you one thing; you don't have to if you don't want to. You have a better trainer right here who would be willing to take you and make you the strongest Charmander on this planet," **_Pikachu said, pointing his tail at Ash. _**"You know, me and you aren't so different." **_

_**"I know. We both have this weird mental link with him," **_Charmander replied.

_**"Well yeah, but I meant in a different way," **_Pikachu told him. _**"You see, I was born in the wild. I lived with my herd, but then a trainer caught me. Not Ash, a different trainer and she was cruel. She never trained me. Not well. I'd assume possibly the same way Damien trained you. Having her other pokemon attack me." **_Charmander nodded. That was how Damien trained him and he made him take the attacks. Said it would make him stronger. _**"She always just told me I had to be pretty and cute and she forced me back into my Poké Ball even though I didn't want to go in. Then she put me in some type of contest and I lost. She abandoned me in much the same way that jerk abandoned you. I was mad. I was ripped from my herd, my family, and my little sister and had no way back to them. I was on my own and I started hating humans. I really hated humans." **_

_**"And then Ash caught you?" **_Charmander took a guess and was shocked when Pikachu shook his head.

_**"No an old man named Professor Oak did. He gave me to Ash to be his starter. I was mad. I was going to run away from him, but then this mental link happened. After that, Ash told me he would let me stay out of my Poké Ball and he wanted to be my friend. Not my master. I could tell he was serious through the link, so I decided to give him a chance and it worked out well. Ash is my best friend and he trained me well. I managed to take out a giant Onix in a gym battle. If you choose to come with him, he will train you just as well. Think it over."**_

The next morning when Ash woke up, Charmander was standing by his feet. "Hi," Ash said.

_"Would you take me?" _Charmander asked, confusing Ash for a minute, but then he got it.

"You want to be my Pokémon?" Ash asked and Charmander nodded. "Then of course you can come with me."

_"Thank you, master," _Charmander said.

"None of that. I am Ash, your trainer and friend. Not your master," Ash told him and Charmander almost didn't believe it until he remembered what Pikachu said the night before. "Now lets see." Ash wanted to keep Charmander on him, but he had six Pokémon. Which means one had to go to Professor Oak.

He wasn't sending Pikachu of course and wasn't going to send Geodude, Nidoran, or Bulbasaur. That meant it was either Shellder or Scyther. Ash took out Shellder's Poké Ball and released the water Pokémon. Shellder cooed when she saw her trainer.

'Hey Shellder, this is Charmander. He's going to be joining our team," Ash introduced the two. Shellder greeted Charmander. "I was wondering if you'd mind being transferred to Oak's lab for a while so I can keep Charmander on the team." Shellder looked upset at the request. "The only reason why I'm asking you is because you have had two gym battles already and the match against AJ. I figured you might want to take a rest. The professor has some nice places for water Pokémon to swim and I promise I won't leave you there forever. I still expect you to train while you're there too. There might be Pokémon there who can help you with that Aurora Beam you've been working on."

Shellder really liked the idea of a nice area to swim in and maybe she could surprise Ash by learning more then just one move while she was away. _**"Okay, as long as you promise you won't abandon me," **_Shellder said and Charmander translated it for him.

"Of course I won't abandon you. You were the first pokemon I caught," Ash said, which confused Shellder since she didn't see Pikachu around. "Oh me and Charmander have the mental link thing too." Ash added realizing Shellder wouldn't know that.

Shellder was a bit excited by the news and Ash returned her. "Where is Pikachu?" Ash asked.

_"The red head girl came and took him for food," _Charmander told Ash.

"Ah that's Misty. She's traveling with us and is very, very nice. You'll like her," Ash said smiling at the thought of his friend. Ash picked Charmander up in his arms and walked out to the phone and called Oak.

"Hello Ash," Oak said. "Is that a Charmander in your arms?"

"Yeah, I'm going to catch him, so I'm transferring Shellder to you now so he can stay on my team" Ash told Oak.

"Okay, I'm ready when you are," Oak said, and Ash put Shellder's Poké Ball on the transfer device. Shellder was teleported away and then Oak had the ball. "She arrived safely." Oak released Shellder from the ball as he said it and the little water Pokémon jumped up onto his lap and looked at Ash through the screen.

"You be good for Oak, Shellder. I'll see you soon," Ash said and then told Oak goodbye and hung up. Ash then took out a empty Poké Ball and tapped Charmander's head. Charmander went inside and it was an automatic catch.

"You caught Charmander," Misty said coming up at that moment with Pikachu on her shoulder. "Good, he deserves a great trainer."

Ash smiled as he released his new catch. 'Yeah, him and me are going to be a great team," Ash replied. "I'm going to grab something to eat and then do some training before we leave. What about you, Mist?"

"Already ate. There's a pool in the back so it's a good place to train," Misty said. "Mind if I borrow Pikachu? It would be good to get some training against an electric type for the gym."

_"I'm cool with it, Ash," _Pikachu thought to his friend.

"Yeah, have fun," Ash said after that.

"Thanks," Misty said, giving Ash a quick hug and not realizing as his face turned red.

Ash got some breakfast and then asked Nurse Joy if it was okay to train Charmander. Nurse Joy confirmed it was, but told him to take it easy for a few days. Ash nodded and went outside, releasing all his other Pokémon. "Everyone, this is the newest member of our team, Charmander," Ash announced, introducing the four Pokémon to Charmander. "Him and me have the same link me and Pikachu have." That caught the other by surprise but they got over it fast.

Peter punched the air and then looked like he wanted a fight. _**"Come on, lizard. Let's battle,"**_ he taunted.

"Peter, how many times have I told you about picking battles with teammates," Ash sighed, knowing his rock Pokémon well enough by now to know that's what he wanted. "Go and practice your Magnitude. It will come in handy for the gym if we can master it."

Peter punched the air, looking forward to a gym battle, and went to the side to practice the move. "Bulbasaur, can you continue working on unlocking your egg move on your own? I'm going to be doing a one on one with Charmander."

_**"I can help," **_Scyther said, stepping forward. Charmander translated for Ash.

"You sure? I was thinking you could start working on a new move," Ash said.

_**"I have gotten some ideas on how to help Bulbasaur," **_Scyther said and Charmander translated.

"If you're sure," Ash said. "Okay Bulbasaur, you will be working with Scyther."

_**"Come on; let's go over here," **_Scyther told Bulbasaur.

_**"Yes, Sarge," **_Bulbasaur teased; the nickname Pikachu came up with for Scyther having caught on with most of the Pokémon, and the two walked off.

"Nidoran, you know how Seel has been practicing Drill Run?" Ash asked, receiving a nod from his Pokémon. "I want you to start on it too." Ash explained the ways to learn drill run that he learned from his Pokédex to Nidoran. "If you run into any trouble, let me know." Nidoran gave a nod and walked off to find a better place to train.

Ash turned to Charmander and took out his Pokédex. Charmander knew the moves Growl, Scratch, Ember, Smokescreen, and Flamethrower. He also had the egg move of Dragon Rush, but it was locked. "Not a bad move set. Let me see your Flamethrower," Ash instructed and Charmander let out flames into the air. "Powerful. Anyway, let me see what moves you can learn."

Ash checked his Pokédex out. "Okay, I want us to start working on Metal Claw. Since you know Scratch, it shouldn't be that hard to learn and it will help give you a diverse move set."

_"Okay, Ash," _Charmander replied, but he had been wondering something. _"Ash, can I battle in this gym battle coming up?"_

"Not this one, buddy, but you'll get your gym battle eventually," Ash told him, looking up how to teach Metal Claw. "Okay, now you need to put more power into your claws. Visualize a metal coating covering your claws."

Charmander focused and suddenly his claws started to glow. "Good, now use it on the tree," Ash instructed and Charmander went to use the move on the tree, but as he made contact, the glowing stopped. Charmander looked disappointed. "That was a good first try. Try again."

They continued like that for a while; Charmander making small successes in learning the move. It wasn't up to major power yet, but it was getting there. Ash finally forced him to stop as Misty came around with Pikachu. "How did your training go?" Ash asked.

"Okay. Pikachu is a big help, but really Oddish is the only one able to hold against an electric type well still," Misty sighed. "I've been trying to think up better defenses."

"What you did with Seel and the ice with AJ was pretty awesome. Maybe that could help in the gym," Ash suggested, calling in all his pokemon and having Pikachu and Charmander ask how everything went. Peter managed to make his Magnitude a bit stronger. Nidoran was really taking to the new movem apparently. It wouldn't be long before he mastered it. Scyther and Bulbasaur had made real progress in unlocking his egg move. Even Ash's Pokédex said it was semi-unlocked, meaning it was almost there.

The group met up with Brock who had been resupplying in town and ate lunch at the center before deciding to continue. Ash returned all his Pokémon except Pikachu and Charmander. _"In or out?" _Ash asked Charmander in his thoughts.

_"Would you mind if I stayed out for a while?" _Charmander asked.

_"Not at all." _Ash thought back as they started to walk.

"Aren't you going to return Charmander?" Misty asked.

"No, he wants to walk," Ash replied and Charmander nodded, confirming it for Misty.

The group continued to walk until dinnertime when they released their Pokémon and sat down for dinner. Charmander loved Brock's cooking as much as everyone else. They then camped out for the night.

…...

The next day as they were walking, the group fell into a hole. "Who puts a hole in the middle of a road?" Ash asked after he was over the shock.

'You got me on that," Misty muttered as five Squirtle appeared above them laughing.

"Maybe them," Brock said, pointing at the Squirtle.

Ash climbed out of the hole, helping Charmander up. _**"What's your problem?" **_Pikachu asked the group. _**"You could have seriously hurt us."**_

_**"Chill man, we're just having fun," **_the Squirtle who seemed like the leader of the pack said.

_**"You think that's fun?" **_Charmander growled, but lost his courage when one of the Squirtles stepped forward and hid behind Ash knowing these were water types. He was afraid Ash might think he was a wimp because of that, but Ash moved over so he stood completely in front of Charmander.

"You want to battle?" Ash said, not liking the attitude of these Squirtle even though he couldn't understand what they were saying.

Before there could be an answer, there were police sirens and the Squirtles fled. An Officer Jenny on a motorcycle appeared. "I s everyone okay? Is anyone hurt?" The Officer Jenny asked, coming up.

"Yeah we're all fine," Misty said. "What was with those Squirtles?" Misty was really curious.

"They call themselves the Squirtle Squad," Officer Jenny told her. "They are a group of Squirtles who were all abandoned by their trainers around here. Now they go around pulling pranks on everyone." Officer Jenny took a deep breath. "It actually is kind of sad."

"Yeah," Misty murmured, not believing anyone would abandon a Squirtle.

Team Rocket were on their way to talk to the boss who had a mission for them when they saw the twerps fall into a hole and then heard Officer Jenny's comment. "So there are Squirtle hanging around," Meowth said.

Jesse shrugged. "So?"

"Squirtles are pretty rare Pokémon. You cannot find them in the wild. If we got our hands on that Squirtle Squad and gave them to the boss…." Meowth didn't need to finish as James and Jessie got the point and started singing about how they would be rich.

The group was walking when they came upon a small lake. "Misty, why don't you try to catch a new Pokémon?" Ash suggested, but Misty seemed to be zoned out. "Earth to Misty. Hello." Ash waved his hand in front of her face.

"Um… what?" Misty asked.

"What's got you so deep in thought?" Ash asked his friend.

"I want to catch one of the Squirtles." Misty suddenly said, making everyone look at her. "I know they don't like humans, but I've always wanted a Squirtle and I think I can get through to them that not all humans are bad. We did it with Bulbasaur and ever since we saw them, I have been thinking up ways I can use a Squirtle in battle."

"Okay," Ash said with a smile. "Let's get you a Squirtle." Ash wasn't going to question his friend. If she wanted a Squirtle, Ash would help get her one. "Now we just need to find them."

It didn't take long, as at that moment a Squirtle popped out of the water and sent a Water Gun at the three humans. Luckily it didn't hit Charmander. The Squirtle laughed as it swam away.

Ash took out Charmander Poké Ball. "You might want to go inside for this one," Ash said.

_"Yeah," _Charmander thought back as Ash returned him.

Misty had already taken out Goldeen and Staryu, telling them to go and look for the Squirtle. The two gave a nod and were off. They found the Squirtle exiting the water not far off. Goldeen went back to get the humans as Stayu stayed there to watch.

Not long after, Misty, Ash, Brock, and Pikachu had walked around the lake to where Goldeen saw the Squirtle leave. Staryu was pointing down a path. "So the Squirtle went this way," Brock said, looking at the ground but besides right near the water, but there were no prints.

"I've got an idea," Ash said taking out a Poké Ball and releasing Scyther. "Scyther, we need to look for a group of Squirtle. They went somewhere that way." Ash pointed. "Can you go up and try to find them?"

Scyther nodded without saying a word and started to fly off. It took a while but then he found the group hanging out in a cave. Scyther flew back to the others. _**"This way," **_Scyther said and Pikachu translated for Ash.

"I think he found them," Ash told his friends and they followed Scyther to the cave where the Squirtle Squad was. The squad was shocked when they saw the humans approach. Once there Ash returned Scyther.

Misty stepped forward. "I know you were all abandoned by your trainers. I know it hurt, but I would never do that and I would really like one of you to join my team," Misty said. "I'm training to be a water pokemon master and I feel I can do great things with you."

The squad mumbled to themselves, not believing the girl. Pikachu translated what he heard to Ash. Then the leader of the group of Squirtle stepped forward. _**"If you beat me in a battle, I'll go with you. If you don't, you leave us alone."**_ This Squirtle was willing to battle, believing he would win anyway.

Pikachu told Ash who said, "I think he wants a battle."

"I got that," Misty said. "Okay we can battle." Misty knew Oddish was the best choice against a water type, but she didn't want to go for type advantage here. She wanted to prove herself to this Squirtle. Seel was a bad choice to use so she took out Staryu's Poké Ball and released Staryu. "Ready?"

She was answered with a Water Gun pointed directly at Staryu. "Rapid Spin," Misty commanded and Staryu spun and hit Squirtle. Squirtle then used a Tackle and Misty told Staryu to use one the same attack. "Now use…" Before Misty could order the attack, a net came down and took the other four members of the Squirtle Squad up, surprising everyone.

"What just happened?" Ash asked, confused.

"Prepare for trouble," they heard a familiar voice say, and as they looked up they saw Team Rocket in a Meowth-shaped balloon that had a net under it with the rest of the Squirtle Squad in it.

"And make it double," they heard and before they could say any more, Pikachu sent a Thunderbolt up at them, shocking them.

"Will you stop interrupting the motto?" Meowth yelled.

_**"I will not listen to that again!" **_Pikachu yelled back.

"Looked like we missed one," James said seeing the Squirtle on the ground with the twerps.

"No problem," Meowth replied, taking out a remote and a large hand came out and took hold of Squirtle.

Misty just reacted and jumped on the hand, holding onto it and being taken up as well. "Looks likes you got extra," Jessie said as Meowth tried to shake Misty off, but Misty held on tight, mumbling that she was not letting go. Squirtle looked at her, shocked.

Ash took out a Poké Ball. "Bulbasaur, use Vine Whip to hold onto Misty," Ash called out as he released his Pokémon and Bulbasaur let out the Vine Whip right away and wrapped it around Misty to hold her in place.

"Need a little help here!" Meowth called and Jessie and James started throwing bombs down which the group had to dodge. It knocked Bulbasaur away, making him release the Vine Whip. Misty still hung on.

"Use Razor Leaf, Ash," Brock told his black-haired friend as the bombs continued to come down and the forest around them started to go ablaze.

"Razor Leaf!" Ash called, and Bulbasaur used Razor Leaf, cutting through the net, the wire on the hand, and Team Rocket's balloon. The three went blasting off yelling, "We're blasting off again!" as the Squirtle in the net and Misty holding onto the other Squirtle fell down.

"Misty!" Ash yelled, going to catch her, but Misty just landed on top of him.

"Ash, I appreciate the thought and the nice landing, but next time have Bulbasaur do that," Misty said as she got up and put Squirtle on the floor ground before holding out a hand to help Ash up.

"Guys we have a problem," Brock said, pointing. The bombs Team Rocket threw down had started to set the forest on fire. "If this doesn't get put out, it will destroy the forest and the town!"

"What can we do?" Ash asked.

"I know. Squirtle," Misty said turning to the Squirtle she had previously been battling. "You and your group have to use Water Gun on the fire and put it out. Staryu, you too." Staryu started right away. Squirtle nodded and then gave the order to the rest of his group.

"Ash, Geodude, Onix, and Peter can help by throwing sand on the fire," Brock told him and Ash nodded, releasing Peter as Brock released Onix and Geodude. The three rock types went to work on the flames.

By the time Officer Jenny arrived on her motorcycle, the fire was out. The three explained everything to Jenny who looked at the Squirtle Squad. "Well I think we got a new job for the Squirtle Squad,' Jenny said confusing them, but then they went back to town where the Squirtle Squad were made the town's new firefighters.

Misty watched as they were given firefighter jackets. "Come on," Misty said. "Time for us to go."

The three walked away and as they did, the leader of the Squirtle Squad watched Misty. He said bye to his friends and then went to run after them.

Ash didn't like seeing Misty sad and he knew she was by her face. He wanted to make her happy so he turned around to talk to her and then noticed the Squirtle following them. "Misty you might want to turn around. That Squirtle is following us."

Misty turned around quickly, seeing the Squirtle she had battled there. She knew it was the same one from the glasses. " Do you want to come with me?" Misty asked and Squirtle took off his glasses to show tears in his eyes as he ran towards Misty. Misty got down on her knees and brought the Squirtle into a hug as he got close.

"Best way to capture a new friend." Ash murmured and Brock nodded as Misty took out a Poké Ball. Squirtle pushed the button to be captured.

AN: Okay, some of you might be mad at us for not giving Squrtile to Ash. We have a few reasons why we didn't. We had decided Ash would only catch a certain amount of Pokémon and if we had given him Squirtle, he would have had three water types, Shellder and another one he will catch in the future. We want him to have a diverse team so we decided to cut Squirtle. We then decided to give Squirtle to Misty because as a water Pokémon trainer she needs the water Pokémon and since she is taking on the League, Squirtle has a large move variety it can learn and good defenses. It made sense for Misty not only to want Squirtle but also to get him instead of Ash.

We hope you enjoyed this chapter! Please REVIEW!

Ash's Pokémon

Scyther (M): Vaccum Wave, Quick Attack, Leer, Focus Energy, Pursuit, False Swipe, Agility, Wing Attack, Slash, Razor wind Egg Move: Steel Wing (Locked).

Geodude (Peter) (M): Defense Curl, Tackle, Mud Sport, Rollout, Rock Throw, Magnitude+. Egg move- Hammer arm (unlocked)

Pikachu (M): Thunder Shock, Thunder Wave, Quick Attack, Thunderbolt, Iron Tail, Agility Egg Move: Volt Tackle (locked)

Shellder (F): Tackle, Withdraw, Icicle Shard, Razor Shell, Protect, Aurora Bean+ Egg Move: Water Gun (unlocked)

Nidoran (F): Leer, Peck, Focus Energy, Double Kick, Poison Sting, Drill Run+ No egg move.

Bulbasaur (M): Tackle, Growl, Vine Whip, Poison Powder, Sleep Powder, Take Down, Razor Leaf, Sweet Scent, Growth, Double Edge and Worry Seed. Egg move: Nature Power (semi-unlocked)

Charmander (M) : Growl, Scratch, Ember, Smokescreen, Flamethrower, Metal Claw+. Egg move: Dragon Rush (Locked)

Misty's Pokémon:

Staryu: Harden, Tackle, Water Gun, Rapid Spin, Recover, Bubble Beam, Gyro Ball, Camouflage+ No Egg Move

Seel (M): Headbutt, Growl, Water Sport, Icy Wind, Encore, Ice Shard, Ice Beam, Drill Run+ Egg Move: Signal Beam.

Goldeen (F): Peck, Tail Whip, Water Sport, Supersonic, Horn Attack, Egg Move: no egg move

Oddish (F): Absorb, Sweet Scent, Acid, Poison Powder, Stun Spore, Sleep Powder. Egg Move: Razor Leaf

Squirtle (M): Tackle, Tail Whip, Water Gun, Bubble. Egg move: Aqua Jet


	6. Chapter 6

A Different Path

**Hi all! Sorry for the long wait! I had writer's block and CharmedMilliE had school, so it took a while to get our next chapter written.**

**Before we start, an anonymus reviewer named Nick asked some good questions we'd like to clear up.**

**With the exception of some episodes we find pointless, this fanfic will follow the anime, with some things changing due to a more mature Ash. I know we're going at least through Johto and covering some of the movies as well. Everyone in the fanfic is the same age they are in the anime, with Ash and Misty being ten while Brock is sixteen. As for the Pokémon they're getting…we don't want to ruin the surprise. Team Rocket will just catch the ones they do in the anime though.**

**Please review and let us know what you think!**

Mystery At The Lighthouse and Electric Shock Showdown

"Okay, the road's got to be somewhere." Ash muttered as they hiked along a wooded trail.

"Everything's somewhere." Brock said sarcastically.

"Ash, did you get us lost AGAIN?" Misty grumbled.

Pikachu sighed. _"Ash, you're my best friend, but I've got to tell you that you have the worst sense of direction on the planet." _Charmander, who was walking beside Ash, nodded.

"_Thanks for the support, guys." _Ash thought sarcastically to his companions.

Misty grabbed the map from Ash. "I am NEVER letting you hold the map again!"

"You were the one who gave it to me and told me it would be good to learn how to navigate!" Ash protested.

"Yeah, navigate, not get us lost!" Misty yelled.

"Okay, okay, everyone chill!" Brock said, stepping in. "We'll figure out a way out of here."

"Okay, but this time, I'M leading." Misty replied.

"Fine by me." Ash said.

Misty led them out of the woods and they came upon a sandy beach with a sparkling blue ocean. Misty sighed happily and kicked off her shoes. "What a beautiful beach. And just look at that sunset!"

"_Hey, look over there!" _Pikachu thought to Ash, jumping up and down while repeating his name and pointing.

Ash followed Pikachu's tiny finger. "Oh good, a lighthouse! Maybe they can tell us where we are!"

"And maybe they'll have a nice, comfortable bed!" Misty said happily. "I'm sick of sleeping in sleeping bags. I need my beauty sleep."

"Maybe they have a stove I can use too." Brock said. The group ran to the lighthouse, hoping to get there before it got dark.

…...

"_**For the last time Rudolph, you can't play with us." **_a large Krabby sneered at a much smaller one. The other Krabby surrounding him laughed.

"_**Why not?" **_Rudolph pleaded.

"_**Because you're too small and weak." **_the large Krabby said arrogantly. _**"Come find us when you grow up a bit."**_

Rudolph glared at them. _**"I may be small, but I'll prove to you guys I'm strong!" **_he yelled. He noticed a group of trainers run by and scuttled to the closest, a raven-haired boy with a Pikachu on his shoulder.

…...

As Ash was running to the lighthouse, a tiny Krabby suddenly ran in front of him. He hit the brakes before he could step on it, stumbling and nearly sending Pikachu flying off his shoulder.

The little Krabby moved towards him, clicking its claws together and chattering in his own language. Ash looked at Pikachu. _"Can you tell me what it's saying, buddy?"_

"_He wants to challenge you to a battle." _Pikachu explained.

Ash looked at the Krabby, liking the glint of determination in his eyes. He could tell this Krabby was a fighter. "Would you like to battle?" Ash asked. The Krabby clicked his claws together. "Okay, but if I win, I'd like you to join me."

The Krabby studied him for a minute, then clicked his claws together again. He kind of liked this trainer, and joining him would be better than dealing with the Krabby gang who were always bullying him. Plus, he'd get to see the world and become even stronger.

Ash smiled and nodded to the Krabby before throwing a Poké Ball. "Go! Bulbasaur!" The Grass type landed in front of him, facing his opponent. "Use Vine Whip!"

Rudolph nimbly dodged the Vine Whip, then shot a stream of mud at Bulbasaur, hitting him in the eyes. Bulbasaur stumbled backwards, then tried to wipe off his eyes using his vines. The little Krabby took advantage of the distraction and grabbed onto him with Vice Grip, making Bulbasaur yelp in pain.

_Smart little guy. _Ash thought. "Bulbasaur, use Vine Whip on him to make him let you go!" Bulbasaur hit the little Krabby with Vine Whip, knocking him off. The Krabby then shot a stream of bubbles at Bulbasaur.

"Dodge, then use Razor Leaf!" Ash called. Bulbasaur got out of the way by centimeters, then shot razor sharp leaves at the Krabby, knocking him backwards. But Rudolph was stubborn, and he wasn't out yet. He struggled to his feet and shot off another Mud Shot.

"Dodge it, then Vine Whip!" Ash called, impressed by the Krabby's determination. Too tired to get out of the way, the little Krabby was hit by the Vine Whip and knocked on his back. Ash threw a Poké Ball and held his breath as it rattled once, twice, three times before clicking shut. It then teleported away to the lab.

"We did it! We caught Krabby!" Ash cheered, making a victory sign. "Thanks Bulbasaur." he said, petting his grass type before returning him. Then the group continued on their trek to the lighthouse.

…...

It was nearly dark by the time they had reached the lighthouse. "Whew, that was further than it looked." Ash said, panting.

"Hey, look at these carvings." Brock told them. Ash and Misty noticed that there were carvings of many different species of Pokémon on the door. "I wonder who lives here?"

"Well, there's only one way to find out." Ash said, pressing the doorbell. It let out an ominous sound that made everyone huddle together nervously.

"Who's there?" a male voice boomed through the loudspeaker, making everyone jump.

"Excuse me sir, but we're travelers and we're lost." Brock said. "Can you give us directions?"

"We've been camping out for quite a while and we were wondering if you had some extra beds. We can pay you for the stay." Misty added.

"And I was wondering if I could use your kitchen to make some bacon double cheeseburgers for our group. I have all the ingredients with me and I can make something for you too." Brock offered.

"That sounds great." the voice said happily. "Can you cook without using tofu?"

"Yeah, I can cook lots of things without using tofu." Brock responded.

"That's good." the voice replied. "I've been eating nothing but tofu ever since my cook went on vacation. Come on in." The doors to the lighthouse slowly opened and the group walked inside the dark lighthouse.

The lighthouse was huge, with a winding staircase and large windows. Everyone looked around, wondering where the keeper of the lighthouse was.

Ash noticed a telephone shaped like a Bellsprout. "May I use your phone, please?" he asked politely. He wanted to call Professor Oak and see how Krabby and Shellder were doing.

"Sure. It's right near you." the lighthouse keeper said through the loudspeaker.

"_I wonder why the keeper hasn't come out to meet us yet." _Charmander mused, looking around. Pikachu just shrugged as Ash dialed Professor Oak's number.

The video screen flashed on, showing Professor Oak by his stove, cooking something in a big pot. "Hello, Ash. Good to see you." Professor Oak said warmly. "I'm assuming you're calling about your new Krabby. He's doing just fine." Professor Oak turned the camera, showing Krabby resting in a bowl. Next to him was a much larger bowl holding a giant Krabby.

"I'm glad." Ash replied happily. "Hello, Krabby." Krabby looked at him and clicked his claws together. "Who does the other Krabby belong to, by the way?"

"Oh, that's Gary's." Professor Oak told him. "He's caught forty-five Pokémon already."

"_Forty-five? What's he doing, throwing a Poké Ball at every Pokémon he sees?" _Pikachu muttered.

"_Probably. This is Gary we're talking about." _Ash thought back before turning back to Professor Oak. "How's Shellder doing?"

Professor Oak was about to answer, but Shellder beat him to it, jumping onto the counter and sticking her whole face in the camera when she heard Ash asking about her. She cooed happily at her trainer as Ash smiled at her, hiding a laugh.

Professor Oak burst out laughing. "As you can see, she's doing just fine. She's been great company and is always helping me out."

"That's good." Ash said, smiling. Shellder cooed again and nuzzled the camera.

"_She says she misses you." _Pikachu translated.

Ash put his hand up against the video screen. "I miss you too, girl. I'll pick you and Krabby up when I'm done with the Electric Gym, okay?" Shellder gave her version of a nod. "In the meantime, can you help Krabby train?" Shellder nodded again and moved away from the camera so Professor Oak could speak to Ash.

"So where are you at, Ash?" Professor Oak asked.

"We're at a lighthouse on top of a cliff somewhere between Cerulean and Vermillion." Ash answered.

"That sounds like my friend Bill's lighthouse." Professor Oak said. "He's a young Pokémon Researcher who knows even more than me. He could teach you everything there is to know about Pokémon and then some."

The loudspeaker crackled. "This is Bill, Professor Oak. It's good to hear from you."

"Oh, hello Bill." Professor Oak said cheerfully. "Please give my friends a crash course on Pokémon." His pot began boiling over. "Oh! Tofu's done! Talk to you later, Ash!" He began blowing on the tofu as he hung up.

"Well, there's no way I can ignore a request from the great Professor Oak." Bill's voice boomed. The lights suddenly turned on. "I am Bill of the lighthouse!" Everyone looked towards the stairs and gasped in shock when they saw not a human, but a giant Kabuto.

…...

"_Holy crap! What is that thing?!" _Pikachu yelled, his cheeks sparking. He and Charmander stepped forward, prepared to do battle.

"It can't be!" Brock cried. "That's Kabuto, an extinct Pokémon! What's it doing here?"

"No! I'm not a Kabuto!" Bill exclaimed. "I'm Bill, the Pokémon researcher!"

Everyone calmed down. "Is that a costume or something?" Ash asked.

"Yeah, and I kind of got myself stuck in it." Bill admitted sheepishly.

"Need some help getting out of it?" Ash asked.

"Yes, please!" Bill said with relief. "Please press the button on the right side of the costume."

Ash walked up the stairs and examined the costume, spotting the button just under the right arm. "This button?" he asked, not wanting to hit a wrong button and make things worse.

"Yes." Bill said. "These arms are too short. I tried to get out of the costume, but I couldn't reach the button."

Charmander looked at him oddly. _"Why the heck did he put the button to get him out on the outside of the costume?" _Pikachu just shrugged and rolled his eyes.

Ash quickly pressed the button and the costume fell away to reveal a green haired man in a red suit. "Thanks." Bill told him gratefully. "I was stuck in there for hours!"

"_So he just decided to sit in the dark in a Kabuto costume he couldn't get out of and freak us out instead of just telling us when he first invited us in?" _Pikachu thought to Ash and Charmander. _"We seem to run into all the nutcases on our trip…" _Ash just rolled his eyes at his starter.

"Did you come from a costume party?' Misty asked.

"No, it's not for a party." Bill replied. "It's a special costume I use for my research. Getting inside its skin helps me get inside its head."

"What do you mean?" a confused Ash questioned.

Bill pointed to some carvings of an Omanyte, Omastar, and Aerodactyl. "There are all kinds of extinct Pokémon and I want to understand how they lived. Putting on a costume is one way of trying to figure out what they were like."

Pikachu looked at him in awe. _"I can't decide whether that's weird or extremely brilliant."_

"So you can understand what a Pokémon was like by wearing a costume?" Ash questioned.

Bill nodded. "Yes indeed. Or I'm beginning to. This planet was created 4.6 billion years ago. During that time, all kinds of Pokémon existed, and they had many ways of living. In Kanto alone, there are at least one hundred and fifty known species of Pokémon. And new ones are discovered all the time, so we need to keep searching. There is always something to look for, inside and outside ourselves."

"Something to look for?" Brock asked.

"Yes. There's a lot for us to look for, inside and outside ourselves. There's a meaning for every creature. A meaning for all the Pokémon, and a meaning for all us humans too."

Bill turned to Ash. "Keep searching for Pokémon to catch. It's as vital to me as it is to you. And always keep your eyes open for new discoveries. I recently came upon the greatest discovery of my life."

"What was it?" Misty asked.

Bill looked dreamily out the window as he spoke. "A few weeks ago, I heard this sweet, mournful call come from the ocean and saw the silhouette of the biggest Pokémon I've ever seen. It was crying for a friend, and I recorded a call and answered it. It finally came to me a few days ago. It was a giant Dragonite. It stayed with me for a day, then left; I'm assuming to look for more of its own kind. I'm not sure if it will be back, but I really hope it will. Despite its size, it was very gentle and sweet, and I'm so glad I got the chance to befriend it."

"I hope so too." Ash replied. A giant Dragonite would be really cool to see.

Bill let them spend the night at the lighthouse. Unfortunately, the giant Dragonite did not show up again that night, much to their disappointment. The next morning, Bill gave them directions to Vermillion, and the group went on their way.

…...

"We're finally here." Misty sighed several days later as they walked into Vermillion City. Ash and Misty had made the decision to stop for some intense training before they entered the city to prepare for the Gym Battle. Much to Ash's Geodude's relief, he had finally learned to get his Magnitude to a high level. Nidoran had mastered Drill Run and had also picked up on Fury Attack and Horn Attack. With Scyther's help, Bulbasaur had almost unlocked Nature Power, though he was still having problems getting it up to full power.

As well as helping Bulbasaur, Scyther had started learning X-Scissor. It still wasn't up to where Scyther wanted it to be, but he was progressing. Charmander had worked his butt off, mastering Metal Claw and learning Fire Fang and Flame Burst and Pikachu was working on learning Thunder.

Misty too had trained hard for the gym and her Oddish was making real progress on unlocking Razor Leaf, her egg move. She had also learned Mega Drain and Giga Drain. Despite his goofy prankster side, Squirtle was found to be a hard worker and had learned Bite, Rapid Spin, and Protect. Seel had mastered Drill Run while Goldeen had learned Flail, Water Pulse, and Aqua Ring. Staryu managed to master its Camouflage and its other moves were much stronger with all the extra training.

The group made a quick stop at the Pokémon Center to heal up their Pokémon and have lunch before heading for the gym.

"You want to go first, Misty?" Ash asked after swallowing a bite of his rice.

Misty shook her head. "You go ahead first." she said a little bit nervously. "Maybe I can get some ideas for my battle by watching you."

"Don't be nervous. I'm sure you'll do great." Ash reassured her and Misty gave him a smile.

After lunch, they walked to the gym, a tall green building with lightning bolts painted on it. Inside were two trainers; a man and a woman wearing army fatigues.

"Hello," Ash said. "We'd like to challenge Lt. Surge for the Thunder Badge."

The man smirked. "Hey Boss, your next victims are here." he called.

"Which ones?" a booming voice asked and a tall, muscular blond man stepped out of the shadows.

"Us, sir." Misty said, stepping forward. "Misty Waterflower and Ash Ketchum."

Lt. Surge smirked. "So which one of you two loses first?"

Misty and Ash looked at each other and Ash stepped forward. "I'll go first, sir, but I don't intend to lose."

"Good. A challenger with guts. I like that. But let's see if you can back up those words." Lt. Surge said. They walked to the battlefield. "Go, Voltorb!" Lt. Surge called, releasing a large Pokémon that looked a lot like a Poké Ball.

"Go, Peter!" Ash called, releasing his Geodude. Peter punched the air, eager to battle.

"Type advantage can help, but it isn't everything! Voltorb, use Sonic Boom!" Lt. Surge called. Voltorb let out a shock wave, doing Peter some damage.

"Peter, use Magnitude!" Ash commanded. Peter unleashed a massive Magnitude, doing some serious damage to Voltorb.

"Voltorb, use Swift!" Lt. Surge called.

Ash knew the attack couldn't be dodged. "Peter, use Defense Curl!" Peter curled into a ball, covering his weak spots. The Swift hit, doing a little damage, but not very much. "Now, use Rollout to get close, followed by Hammer Arm!" Peter shot towards Voltorb, hitting it with his fist and sending it flying.

Lt. Surge knew Voltorb was extremely close to fainting. It was time for the last resort. "Voltorb, use Rollout towards that Geodude, then use Self-Destruct!"

"Peter, get out of there!" Ash called frantically, but it was too late.

KABOOM!

"Peter!" Ash shouted in worry. The smoke cleared, showing that both Peter and Voltorb were knocked out.

"Both Voltorb and Geodude are unable to battle! Release your next Pokémon!" the referee called. Lt. Surge recalled his Voltorb, giving it a quiet apology.

Sadly, Ash recalled Peter. "Thank you, buddy. You did great." he whispered.

"_That was a dirty trick." _Charmander growled angrily from the sidelines.

Pikachu nodded. _"Unfortunately there's no rule against using it." _he said with a sigh.

"Go, Nidoran! It's up to you, buddy!" Ash called, releasing Nidoran. The Poison Pin Pokémon took a battle stance in front of him.

"Let's see how your Nidoran can handle my strongest Pokémon! Go! Raichu!" Lt. Surge called.

"Use Drill Run, Nidoran!" Ash commanded. Nidoran ran at his opponent.

"Use Thundershock to stop it!" Lt. Surge called. But Nidoran powered through the Thundershock and slammed into the Raichu with Drill Run, causing some serious damage.

"All right, no more kid stuff! Use Thunder!" Lt. Surge commanded. Raichu powered up a Thunder attack and sent it at Nidoran.

"Dodge!" Ash called and Nidoran got out of the way of the full force of the attack though he was still damaged by it a little. "Now Drill Run!" Nidoran hit Raichu with his Drill Run, knocking the Raichu back.

"Thunder again while he's close!" Lt. Surge ordered. Nidoran was hit with a full power Thunder attack. "Now Mega Kick!" Raichu gave Nidoran a fierce kick before the Poison Pin Pokémon could dodge, knocking him senseless.

"Nidoran!" Ash called in worry. He reached for Nidoran's Poké Ball, ready to forfeit so Nidoran wouldn't be hurt any more, but Nidoran staggered to his feet, his body glowing as he increased in size. Nidoran had now become a large-and angry- Nidorino.

Ash smiled at his newly evolved Pokémon. "Nidorino, use Horn Attack!" Nidorino hit Raichu with a Horn Attack, knocking it out.

"Raichu is unable to battle! The winner is Ash Ketchum!"

Lt. Surge recalled Raichu, then walked over to Ash. "Congratulations kid. You earned it." He handed Ash the Thunder Badge.

Ash grinned. "We did it! Thanks, Nidoran…I mean Nidorino!" He hugged his newly evolved Pokémon, who flattened his spines down so Ash wouldn't prick himself. Pikachu jumped on Ash's shoulder and Charmander ran over, both congratulating him and Nidorino.

"Good job, Ash." Misty said and Brock high-fived him.

They had to wait half an hour for Lt. Surge to get his Pokémon healed, and then it was Misty's turn to battle.

"Go, Voltorb!" Lt. Surge called.

"Oddish, go!" Misty called, releasing her Grass Type. "Use Sleep Powder!"

"Fry that Sleep Powder with Discharge!" Lt. Surge commanded. The resulting wave of electricity destroyed the Sleep Powder. "Now use Spark!" Oddish was hit by the Spark attack, sending her backwards.

"Giga Drain!" Misty called. Oddish hit Voltorb with the Giga Drain, taking some of its energy and healing herself. "Now use Acid!" Voltorb yelped in pain as Oddish's Acid hit him.

"Discharge!" Surge called and Oddish flew backwards as the huge wave of electricity hit her. She landed hard, then got to her feet, her body glowing. As the white light faded, it was revealed that Oddish had evolved into Gloom. Gloom stood tall and looked at Misty with a smile.

Misty remembered from researching Egg moves on Ash's Pokédex that sometimes Pokémon could learn their Egg moves through evolution. And since Oddish had gotten pretty close to learning her Egg move before she evolved… "Gloom, use Razor Leaf!" Gloom shot leaves from the top of her head, knocking Voltorb backwards.

"Now use Acid!" Misty called. The attack hit Voltorb head-on, bringing the Electric type close to fainting.

"Use Spark!" Lt. Surge commanded.

"Dodge and use Razor Leaf!" Misty ordered. Gloom nimbly dodged the attack, then hit Voltorb with a Razor Leaf, knocking it out.

"Voltorb is unable to battle! Gym Leader, choose your next Pokémon!" the referee called.

"Go, Raichu!" Lt. Surge called, releasing the orange mouse.

"Gloom, Razor Leaf!" Misty commanded.

"Raichu, destroy that Razor Leaf with Thunder!" Lt. Surge commanded. The massive lightning attack vaporized the leaves, then hit Gloom. Weakened from her battle with Voltorb, Gloom fainted.

"Gloom is unable to battle! Challenger, release your next Pokémon!" the referee called.

Sadly, Misty recalled Gloom. "Thank you. You did a wonderful job." she whispered to Gloom's Poké Ball. "Go, Squirtle!"

Lt. Surge laughed. "A Water Type versus an Electric type? Kid, you should just surrender now, save your Pokémon some pain." Squirtle glared at him and took a battle stance. Ash was about to get up and tell Lt. Surge off, but Brock pulled him back down.

"Type advantage isn't everything." Misty said coolly.

Lt. Surge shrugged. "All right, your choice. Raichu! Thundershock!"

"Dodge it, Squirtle, then use Rapid Spin!" Misty called. Drawing himself inside his shell, Squirtle spun quickly, evading the Thundershock and slamming into Raichu, knocking the electric mouse backwards.

"Thunderbolt!" Surge ordered.

"Protect!" Misty called quickly and Squirtle threw up a shield, preventing the Thunderbolt from hitting him. "Now, Water Pulse!" Raichu was hit by a pressurized blast of water.

"Show them true power! Use Thunder!" Lt. Surge called.

Misty knew Squirtle wouldn't be able to put up another Protect in time. "Squirtle, Withdraw!" Squirtle withdrew into his shell, preventing some of the damage, but he was still pretty badly hit and was dangerously close to fainting.

Lt. Surge smirked. "Now use Thunderbolt!" he ordered.

"Dodge it, Squirtle!" Misty called frantically. But Squirtle, exhausted from the Thunder attack, wasn't able to dodge the bolt of lightning in time and was knocked out.

"Squirtle is unable to battle! The winner is Lt. Surge!" the referee called.

Misty recalled Squirtle. "Thank you." she whispered to him.

"Word of advice, kid," Lt. Surge said. "Capture a Pokémon that's strong against Electrics. Water versus Electric is a bad match." Misty thanked him for the battle and walked out, a sad expression on her face. Ash and Brock quickly followed her.

…...

Misty sat quietly as she waited for her Pokémon to be healed. Ash watched her with worry, hating seeing his friend upset. He racked his brains for a way to help her.

Once hers and Ash's Pokémon were healed and given back to them, Misty released Squirtle. "Squirtle, I am so, so sorry I made you battle that Raichu and got you hurt. I won't make you go through that again."

Squirtle shook his head violently and patted her knee. _**"Misty, I WANT to battle that arrogant jerk and his rat again-no offense, Pikachu. You're a great trainer and we both know I'm awesome." **_he said with a grin. _**"If we figure out a new strategy, I know we can beat that guy." **_He glanced at Ash and Pikachu to translate, having heard from one of Ash's Pokémon that Ash, Pikachu, and Charmander shared some kind of weird mental bond.

Pikachu quickly translated to Ash, who turned to Misty. "Mist, I think Squirtle wants to battle Raichu for you. Just look how determined he is. And regardless of what Surge says, I know you can work around the type disadvantage. You come up with awesome strategies and I know you can beat Surge."

Misty gave him a small smile. "Thanks." She thought for a few minutes. "I have an idea that might help, but I'm not sure it will be enough."

"Let's check the Pokédex. Maybe Squirtle can learn some Ground Type moves like Mud Shot or Mud Sport or something." Ash suggested. He pulled out his Pokédex and she scooted closer to look, not noticing that her head was almost on his shoulder as they looked at the screen.

"Okay, it looks like the only Ground Type move Squirtle can learn is Dig, and that's not going to help much on a solid floor. Hmm, what else do we got?" Ash mused. "Squirtle can learn Iron Tail? Hey, I have an idea!"

"Uh-oh." Misty teased.

"It's a good idea!" Ash protested playfully.

"Okay, I'll bite. What is it?"

"I saw this really cool battle on TV where a Pidgeot was battling an Electabuzz and it used the move Steel Wing to draw the electricity away from itself and then put its wings on the floor to ground the electricity. Maybe you could do the same with Iron Tail."

"Would Iron Tail be strong enough to work?" Misty asked.

"I think it should be." Ash told her. Then another idea hit him. He remembered how Pikachu had been unable to shock Shellder because of her shell when they had battled for the first time. "I think if you use Iron Tail and…." Misty's eyes lit up as he told her the idea.

"That's just crazy enough to work." Misty said. "Now how do I teach Squirtle Iron Tail?

Ash looked at Pikachu. "Do you think you could help Squirtle learn Iron Tail, buddy?"

Pikachu nodded. _"Of course."_

"Sarge can probably help too." Ash mused.

Misty looked confused. "Sarge? Do you mean Lt. Surge? Because I don't think he'd…"

Ash blushed. "No, I meant Scyther." Pikachu called Scyther Sarge so much that Ash had begun thinking of him as Sarge and even called him that a few times, much to the Bug Type's amusement.

"Oh." Misty replied. "That is a good nickname for that Scyther of yours. He does sort of act like a drill sergeant. So when can we start?"

…...

Over the next week, Pikachu and Scyther helped Squirtle learn Iron Tail. Squirtle had some trouble with it at first, but he was a quick learner, and by the end of the week he had it mastered.

Misty worked hard on figuring out how to create a strategy using both her idea and Ash's that would help. She and Squirtle had several mock battles with Pikachu and finally managed to defeat the electric mouse. Their hard work had paid off and they were ready to face Surge and his Raichu again.

…...

The rematch started much the same way the first battle had, with Gloom defeating Voltorb but being knocked out by Raichu, though this time she was able to get a few good hits on the orange mouse before fainting.

Lt. Surge raised his eyebrows when Misty released Squirtle. "I see you still haven't learned your lesson. Do you really think your little turtle can beat my Raichu?"

Misty looked him squarely in the eyes. "Yes."

"Sure you don't want to surrender now, kid, and save your Squirtle from getting fried?"

Squirtle let out a growl and took a battle stance. Misty smirked. "Well, there's your answer."

Lt. Surge shrugged. "Your loss, kid. Literally." He turned to Raichu. "Use Thundershock!"

"Withdraw and use Rapid Spin! Go right through it!" Misty called. Squirtle pulled himself into his shell, shutting it tightly and then using Rapid Spin, slamming into Raichu. He then returned to Misty and opened up his shell, showing that he had taken little damage.

Lt. Surge smirked. "Impressive. But let's see you get past this! Thunder!"

"Protect!" Misty commanded and Squirtle threw up his shield. "Now douse that rat with Water Pulse! Full power!" The Water Pulse hit Raichu hard, causing him to become confused.

Lt. Surge growled. "Show them the full extent of your power! Give them your strongest Thunder!"

"Turn towards me, then Withdraw and use your Iron Tail!" Misty called quickly. Squirtle withdrew into his shell and his tail glowed as the attack hit. But between Raichu's confusion and the water surrounding it, Raichu managed to shock itself as well. Smoke filled the arena and when it cleared, Raichu was standing, but barely. Squirtle was in his shell, his tail glowing and touching the ground, effectively grounding the electricity. He pulled himself out of his shell, looking tired and a little sore, but still in the game.

Lt. Surge gasped. "What?"

Misty took advantage of the distraction. "Finish it off with Rapid Spin!" Before Raichu or Surge could react, Squirtle hit Raichu with a Rapid Spin, knocking it out.

"Raichu is unable to battle! Bout goes to the challenger, Misty Waterflower!" the referee called.

A grin spread across Misty's face. "We did it, Squirtle! We won!" she cheered. Squirtle jumped into her arms and she hugged him tightly. Brock and Ash ran down to congratuate her, and she high-fived Brock, then hugged Ash in her excitement, not noticing the blush that appeared on her raven-haired friend's face. Pikachu did though and smirked. This would make some great teasing material…

Lt. Surge came over and handed her the Thunder Badge. "Good job, kid. It appears I greatly underestimated you and got too cocky for my own good. I have to say that's the first time I've ever been beaten by a water type. Keep battling like that and you'll make the League in no time."

Misty thanked him and the group headed back to the Pokémon Center, wondering what new challenges and adventures awaited them.

Ash's Pokémon(+ means still learning)

Scyther(Sarge) (M): Vacuum Wave, Quick Attack, Leer, Focus Energy, Pursuit, False Swipe, Agility, Wing Attack, Slash, Razor wind, X-Scissor+ Egg Move: Steel Wing (Locked).

Geodude (Peter) (M): Defense Curl, Tackle, Mud Sport, Rollout, Rock Throw, Magnitude. Egg move- Hammer arm (unlocked)

Pikachu (M): Thunder Shock, Thunder Wave, Quick Attack, Thunderbolt, Iron Tail, Agility, Thunder+ Egg Move: Volt Tackle (locked)

Shellder (F): Tackle, Withdraw, Icicle Shard, Razor Shell, Protect, Aurora Bean+ Egg Move: Water Gun (unlocked)

Nidorino (M): Leer, Peck, Focus Energy, Double Kick, Poison Sting, Drill Run, Fury Attack, Horn Attack. No egg move.

Bulbasaur (M): Tackle, Growl, Vine Whip, Poison Powder, Sleep Powder, Take Down, Razor Leaf, Sweet Scent, Growth, Double Edge and Worry Seed. Egg move: Nature Power (semi-unlocked)

Charmander (M) : Growl, Scratch, Ember, Smokescreen, Flamethrower, Metal Claw, Fire Fang, Flame Burst. Egg move: Dragon Rush (Locked)

Krabby (Rudolph) (M): Mud Sport, Bubble, Vice Grip, Leer, Harden, Bubble Beam, Mud Shot.

Misty's Pokémon:

Staryu: Harden, Tackle, Water Gun, Rapid Spin, Recover, Bubble Beam, Gyro Ball, Camouflage. No Egg Move

Seel (M): Headbutt, Growl, Water Sport, Icy Wind, Encore, Ice Shard, Ice Beam, Drill Run. Egg Move: Signal Beam.

Goldeen (F): Peck, Tail Whip, Water Sport, Supersonic, Horn Attack, Flail, Water Pulse, Aqua Ring. Egg Move: no egg move

Gloom (F): Absorb, Sweet Scent, Acid, Poison Powder, Stun Spore, Sleep Powder, Giga Drain, Mega Drain. Egg Move: Razor Leaf(unlocked)

Squirtle (M): Tackle, Tail Whip, Water Gun, Bubble, Bite, Rapid Spin, Protect. Egg move: Aqua Jet


	7. Chapter 7

A Different Path

**Hope you are all enjoying this! Please remember to review!**

"_A Different Path" _Ash/Pikachu/Charmander mental link

"_**A Different Path." **_Pokémon Speech

Chapter 7: St. Anne

The three trainers headed down to the docks, as Misty wanted to see the large cruise ships. Pikachu was sitting on Ash's shoulder as always and Charmander was walking besides him, seeming a little nervous so close to water. "Wouldn't it be great to be able to go on one of these," Misty asked, looking around.

'Yeah, unfortunately we don't have that kind of money," Ash said, taking a look at the large ships.

Misty nodded sadly knowing her friend was right when they walked past a booth and the woman manning it called them over. "Any of you young people interested in a game?" she asked as the three walked up.

"What type of game?" Brock asked.

"One dollar and you get to spin the wheel behind me. Depending on what number it lands on depends if you get a prize or what prize you get," the woman said with a smile.

Brock took out a dollar, figuring 'why not?' "Do you two want a go?" Brock asked his two younger friends, but they both shook their heads. Brock spun the wheel and it landed on the number 13. "So did I get anything?"

The woman looked down at a list. "You won three tickets aboard the St Anne," The women announced, handing Brock the tickets and shooing him away.

"That was lucky," Ash said as Misty's face lit up.

"Yeah, really lucky. Come on, let's go," Brock, said with a smile and the three of them headed for the boat. What the three didn't know was that the women was a Team Rocket agent and they were in for trouble.

As they neared the entrance for the boat, Charmander freaked out. _"Ash, can you return me?" _Charmander asked, not really liking the idea of being on a boat outside of his Poké Ball.

_"Sure thing," _Ash thought back returning Charmander and putting the Poké Ball away. When the crewmember checked their tickets Ash asked him if there was a Pokémon transfer device on board. There was one, but he had to use it before they left dock.

Ash found it in no time and waited for a bit until he was able to call Professor Oak. Oak picked up not long later. "Well hello, Ash. What can I do for you?" Oak asked and then Shellder jumped into view. "I swear she knows when I mention you and comes running."

Ash laughed as he said hello to Shellder. "I want to transfer for Krabby." Ash saw Shellder face when he said Krabby and he couldn't leave her there. Besides he had made her a promise to take her back on the team after the gym and he wouldn't break that promise. "And Shellder." That made the little Pokémon happy. "I'm going to send you Peter, my Geodude, and my Nidorino. They both had hard battles yesterday and could use a break."

Oak nodded, going to get the Poké Balls and Pokémon. It didn't take long to transfer them and say goodbye. Not long after Ash hung up, one of his Poké Balls burst open and Shellder appeared. The Pokémon jumped right into Ash and Ash barely caught her, nearly falling over as he did. "I missed you too," Ash said as the little Pokémon cooed in his arms.

He found Misty and Brock near some kids comparing their Charmander tail flames. "Hey, Shellder," Misty said greeting the Pokémon. "So that's what you ran to do."

"I also got Krabby. I figured we're on a boat; might as well have my Pokémon and I want to test Krabby out in battle," Ash said and Shellder made a noise. Ash didn't even need Pikachu to tell him that she wanted to battle. "You can battle too."

"Well, the battle fields are over here," Brock said, pointing to a map in his hands. "You should be able to find opponents there." Ash looked at the map, nodding.

"What about you two?" Ash asked.

"I'm going to take a bit of a break from battling and training and check out the shops on board," Misty said with a smile. "Good luck." Misty patted Ash on the back before walking off.

"I'm also going to check out some shops. They have a breeding station on board," Brock said. "Have fun." Brock walked off.

Ash looked at his Pokémon. "I guess it's just us," Ash said, walking to the battling fields as the ship took off.

Misty had headed towards the shops, checking everything out. She was having fun just browsing, but did end up buying some new clothes. As she was walking past one booth, suddenly a pokemon was thrown at her so fast she barely caught it. It took her a moment to realize it was a Magikarp.

She was then thrown into the seller's speech about how valuable Magikarp were. She knew it was a scam. She knew Magikarp weren't worth much money at all. They were usually a good Pokémon for water trainers for the sheer power of their evolved form Gyarados, but Misty had been afraid of that pokemon since she was small. She was about to say no, but then she looked at the Magikarp. It looked so depressed. It must not be fun to be owned by this guy, constantly thrown at people, and then rejected.

"50 dollars," Misty said when the guy said she could have it for 200. She knew the guy was about to refuse. 'Where is your business license?" Misty then asked, surprising the guy. "You know I'm from the Cerulean gym. I can get people on the phone pretty fast."

"For you, 50 will do," the guy said suddenly and Misty smirked, knowing that would work. The Magikarp seemed excited as it was then returned to a golden Poké Ball and once again thrown at Misty as Misty gave the money. "No returns or refunds." the guy shouted as he suddenly ran away.

Misty looked down at the Poké Ball in her hands and scratched the top. The gold paint came off onto her finger. Misty shook her head, taking a rag out of her bag to clean the rest off as she went to go find her friends.

Ash had used Shellder against a Nuzleaf. He hadn't known what pokemon it was when he battled since his Pokédex said there was no information available, but Shellder had won. Ash had also learned that she had mastered her aurora beam and learned Ice Beam while at the lab.

Afterward Ash went to talk to the trainer to find out more about the Pokémon and learned it was a pokemon from the boy home region of Hoenn. That was the reason Ash's Pokédex had no information since he had a Kanto Pokédex.

The next person Ash battled was a girl with a Raichu. Ash knew using Krabby would be stupid, and Pikachu really wanted to battle a Raichu having missed out on it during the gym. The match had ended in a tie though and Pikachu kept mumbling about how next time he saw a Raichu he would win.

Finally he came across an older man with a Raticate who seemed to be on a winning streak. "I'll battle you," Ash said, coming up and releasing Krabby.

The man ordered a Super Fang, but Ash had Krabby easily dodge it. "Use Bubble on the field," Ash ordered and Krabby let out a lot of bubbles, covering the field and blocking Raticate's vision. "Now Vice Grip." Krabby ran through the bubbles while Raticate was confused and looking around and grabbed onto him. "Now…."

Before Ash could finish his command the man yelled to stop the battle and surrendered. Ash was confused as the man returned his Raticate, gave him his prize money, and walked away. Krabby himself was disappointed he didn't get to knock his first opponent in a battle with his new trainer out.

"You did great, Krabby," Ash said picking the small Pokémon up. "You're amazing; a little more training and you'll be ready for a gym battle." Krabby's eyes widened at this praise from his trainer.

"He really did do good. That Krabby is a born battler," Brock said, surprising Ash since he didn't know Brock had come up.

"What happened to your eye?" Ash asked seeing a black and blue bruise on Brock's eye.

"Oh, boys don't like it when you confess your undying love for their girlfriend," Brock said, just shrugging it off like it was nothing, and Ash looked at him like he was crazy.

That was when Misty walked up, still getting the gold off her Poké Ball. "Mist, why is part of your Poké Ball gold?" Ash asked and Misty explained about the Magikarp seller and how she bought the Magikarp after some negotiation.

"I couldn't just leave him there," Misty said after she was done with her story and the Poké Ball was finally completely free of the gold paint. "So I have a Magikarp now and if I train him right, he won't go wild when he evolves."

Ash smiled at his friend. "You can do it," Ash told her. "Now I'm hungry. Let's go eat."

The boat had an open buffet for guest. The trio got some food and Ash gave Pikachu and Krabby something, deciding to wait until later to feed the rest of his Pokémon. The group was happily chatting with each other when the man with the Raticate Ash defeated walked up.

"There you are; I've been looking for you," the man said with a smile, confusing Ash since the two barely knew each other. "I really like your Krabby. Did you like my Raticate?"

"He was cool," Ash said.

"Well since you like my Pokémon and I like your Pokémon why don't we trade?" The man offered and Krabby looked up, worried, not wanting to leave his trainer, but afraid Ash would get rid of him.

"I wouldn't trade this Krabby for anything," Ash said and Krabby had tears in his eyes. His trainer really liked him. The man tried to get Ash to trade for a few more minutes, but Ash refused and the man walked away.

When he was gone Krabby jumped onto Ash's lap and hugged him as good as a crab could hug a human. Ash smiled even though Krabby's claw was kind of digging into his side. "Thanks pal," Ash said patting his head.

Krabby turned to Pikachu. _**"Shellder said you have a mental link with our trainer. Can you tell him my name is Rudolph?" **_

_**"Sure, " **_Pikachu said, relaying the message to Ash.

_"I didn't know Pokémon had names," _Ash replied, shocked since Krabby was the first pokemon who mentioned a name.

_"Some do, some don't," _Pikachu answered back.

_"Well, tell Krabby I'll call him Rudolph from now on," _Ash said and Pikachu told Krabby, who seemed happy and went back to eating his food.

After the meal, Ash returned Rudolph to his Poké Ball and the three humans and Pikachu spent some time looking around. It was about a half hour later when Team Rocket attacked, unfortunately led by the idiot trio.

Pikachu decided to not let the large group of Team Rocket grunts stop him from shocking the three in the middle of their motto. Ash tried not to giggle when it looked like Jessie and James's co worker seemed relieved not to have to hear the rest of the motto either.

"Are we just going to sit back and let them steal our Pokémon?" Ash yelled when the grunts tried to use hoses to suck up their Poké Balls. Ash put his hands over his belt to stop his from going. "Are we Pokémon trainers or not?"

There was a big cheer as people started to release their Pokémon. Pikachu went off to join a group of Pikachu who were using Thunderbolt. Ash released Shellder, Krabby, Bulbasaur, and Scyther right away and then saw a group of Charmander.

_"Hey buddy, I know you don't like being on a ship but I could use you out here," _Ash thought to his Charmander, who he got a reply from of "_Let me out."_

Ash released Charmander, who joined the others in a Flamethrower. Ash saw Misty and Brock had released the Pokémon they could to help out as well. Ash then went and grabbed an umbrella from a nearby shop and used it to knock one of the grunts with the machines out and released the Poké Balls he managed to steal. Other trainers were also grabbing other objects and going after the grunts while their Pokémon took out the grunts' Pokémon.

Pikachu saw the idiot trio hanging around with their Pokémon out and called Shellder and Krabby over. _**"Combination attack!" **_Pikachu called, letting his cheeks spark. Shellder used Water Gun, Krabby used Bubble Beam, and Pikachu used Thunderbolt; the three attacks colliding to hit their target, sending Jessie, James, Meowth, Koffing, and Ekans flying off the boat and landing on a piece of wood in the middle of the ocean.

Once their leaders were gone, the grunts decided to ditch the plan and escape. There was a cheer of victory as Team Rocket left and everyone went to collect the Poké Balls that had been stolen and return them to their owners.

Ash returned his pokemon, expect for Pikachu, thanking them for their help, as did Misty and Brock. The victory was short lived though, soon after Team Rocket was gone, the weather turned bad and the ship started to rock violently.

"No need to worry," The captain came out to say but it wasn't too convincing as he suddenly got on a lifeboat and left.

_"What happened to the captain goes down with the ship?" _Pikachu mocked and Ash tried not to laugh.

"We have to get to a life boat," Misty said, knowing exactly why the captain had known to leave. During their battle with Team Rocket, a couple of holes were put in the ship in very bad places. With the weather turning like this, there was no way the ship was going to stay afloat.

The group headed for the dock, but there was a major panic and everyone was running through there. Ash, Misty, and Brock held onto to each other not to get separated and Pikachu held on tightly to Ash's head to not fall.

Once on deck they were heading towards a lifeboat when the boat violently shook and Ash tripped, getting knocked overboard. Misty tried to hold onto his hand to pull him up, but it was too much and she got pulled overboard as well, shortly followed by Brock who was also trying to pull them up.

Once in the water, there was a bad current that started to pull them. Misty, who the best swimmer among them, knew she had no shot alone. She reached for her Poké Balls, wanting to release Squirtle, Goldeen, and Staryu, her best swimmers, to help them, but picked the wrong Poké Ball and released her Magikarp who splashed around.

"Sorry, Magikarp," Misty mumbled trying to return him but before she could, the current pulled her under.

Magikarp watched as the only trainer who was ever nice to him was pulled under and knew he had to save her. He went swimming towards her but at the rate he could swim he knew he would never make it. He needed to get to her though and he willed more power and then suddenly started to glow. Soon he was a large Gyarados and easily made it to Misty, getting her on top of his head before surfacing.

Misty had seen Magikarp coming towards her and saw the glow. Not long later she was on top of him, safe and coughing out water. She looked at the Poké Ball still in her hand and at the Gyarados. Fear rose in her, but as she looked at him and knew he had rescued her, she knew she had nothing to fear from her Gyarados.

"Ash and Brock," Misty said. "We need to find them."

Gyarados didn't know the two, but if his trainer wanted them he would find them. Swimming as fast as he could in the direction the current was going he looked around. Misty was the one who spotted them.

It seemed Ash had managed to release Krabby and Shellder. The two weren't strong enough to swim the two humans and one Pokémon anywhere but they had managed to keep their heads above water. Krabby was holding up Pikachu by the arm and Ash by the hair, also managing to keep Ash's hat on. Shellder was under Brock's head keeping him up.

"Them," Misty said, pointing at them and Gyarados wasted no time getting the two humans and three Pokémon on his back.

Ash, Brock, and Pikachu were unconscious. "Ash," Misty said, going over to him. He was still breathing, which was good. "Come on Ash. Wake up," Ash coughed up some water and looked to see Misty's face very close to his. Misty backed away after a second, a little embarrassed.

"Are we on a Gyarados?" the two heard Brock say and noticed Brock and Pikachu were both up.

"Yeah my Gyarados," Misty told them, shocking the two. "Magikarp evolved to save me and then he saved both of you."

"Well, thank you Gyarados," Ash said patting the sea serpent's back and checking to make sure he had all his Poké Balls. Brock and Misty checked their belts as well. Luckily, nothing was lost and Ash returned Shellder and Rudolph. "So where are we?"

"I don't know. We got dragged pretty far," Misty told him, looking around. "Gyarados, can you look for land?"

It took maybe a day of searching before they found an island. Gyarados let them off at the dock and what seemed to be a worker ran up. "Only people allowed on this island are ones who come from our boats," the girl said angrily and Gyarados growled at her, making her back off.

Misty held up her hand to Gyarados as they explained what happened with the Saint Anne. The girl had clearly heard of the wreck before, and she calmed down. "So where are we?" Brock asked.

"The Island of Giant Pokémon. It's an amusement park island. Half the island has our very large robot Pokémon and the other half is a normal amusement park." the girl answered. "You can use the guest phones to call home and let everyone know your okay."

The girl held them into the office and pointed out the phone for them. All three decided it was best to call home and Ash went to call his mom. She had heard about the Saint Anne and that Ash had been lost at sea and was so relieved when he called. It was a couple of minutes of his mom worrying about him and then reminding him not to forget to change his underwear before he hung up.

Pikachu was laughing from his spot. _"She does that to you a lot," _Pikachu said as Ash dialed Professor Oak who seemed surprised and happy to hear from him.

"I'm glad you're okay, my boy," Oak said.

"Thanks," Ash said. "How are Nidorino and Peter doing?"

"Your Nidorino is wonderful. Always helping out and is really great," Oak said. "Peter, on the other hand, is a handful. He keeps trying to start fights with everyone, except the water Pokémon." Ash nodded, having expected that.

"Sorry. I tell him to be good, but he does tend to do that," Ash said and then noticed a Nidorino walk in. 'Is that my Nidorino?" It was confirmed when Nidorino heard Ash's voice and came running towards the monitor, knocking Oak out of the way. Ash smiled. "Hi, it's good to see you. How are you liking being at Oak's lab?"

Nidorino stared talking and Pikachu translated. _"He says he misses everyone but is enjoying a bit of relaxing and he likes Professor Oak." _

Ash smiled. "Well, don't worry, I'll be taking you back on the team sometime soon, but for now I'm going to leave you and Peter there for a bit."

_"He says he understands," _Pikachu said.

_"Continue training and help Professor Oak keep Peter in check," _Ash requested and then Professor Oak took back the phone.

"So what gym are you…" Before Oak could finish, Misty walked up, clearly mad.

"My sisters are real pains," Misty growled, not noticing Ash was on the phone. "Can you believe what they said?"

"I don't know what they said," Ash told her, a little lost on what Misty was complaining about. He knew she was calling home from one of the other phones, but was shocked her sisters got her this upset.

_"A little more information would be helpful," _Pikachu added.

"I told them I got a Gyarados and they said that I would never be able to control a Gyarados and that I should just send him to the gym to be in their shows. Then they had the nerve to ask when I was sending my Pokémon to them because they could really use my Staryu for one of their shows. I told them to back off, but when I send my Pokémon there, they are not going to be able to train. My sisters will have them working for their shows and I just don't know what to do."

"Maybe I could help," Misty was shocked when she heard Professor Oak's voice and turned around. She turned red, not having realized Ash was still on the phone. "I could set it up to have your Pokémon transported to the lab."

"Really?" Misty asked.

"Yes, I have areas here for water Pokémon to train and swim. I'm sure your Pokémon will be happy when they are here," Oak said.

"Thank you, professor," Misty said with a smile.

Professor Oak didn't some typing on the computer for a few minutes. "It's done. I'm going to have to make you a Pokédex and send it to the Saffron City pokemon center. Until you get it your Poké Balls will lock when over the limit and you'll have to send them to me," Oak explained. " You're specializing in water Pokémon, right?"

Misty nodded. "But I do have a Gloom," she added.

"Well instead of giving you the standard Kanto Region Pokédex, I'm going to give you a specialized one with all known species of water Pokémon in it. I'll add Gloom and its evolved form information in as well. If you catch any other non water types, it can always be added."

"Thank you again," Misty said and Ash said his goodbyes before hanging up. "Well, that worked out nicely."

"Yeah it did," Ash said with a smile and then Brock walked up.

"So none of the girls here want to be my girlfriend," Brock muttered, making the two roll their eyes. "But I got us tickets to the amusement park. I wanted to see the giant robot pokemon show, but apparently there is technical difficultly. The manager also included in a special band that's usually only for VIP so we can cut the lines. Said it was because of everything we've been through."

"Awesome," Ash and Misty said together and followed Brock to go get their bracelets to get on the rides.

Once at the amusement park area, Ash released Charmander as well, sensing he was getting impatient in his Poké Ball. Brock ran away from them the minute he saw a beautiful girl to flirt with.

"Aren't you going to go pull his ear or something?" Ash asked Misty. Whenever Brock got too friendly with a Joy or Jenny, she went and pulled his ear to take him away.

"Think I'm going to let him be this time. Don't want to ruin my good time to prevent him from talking to every girl here," Misty joked and Ash laughed.

The two went off together, getting on some rides first and then going to play some of the games. Ash got a lot of points on a game where you threw balls about the same size as a Poké Ball at a target. Enough points to get a Blastoise stuffed animal. Misty won a little Charizard stuffed animal at a fishing game.

Ash held out the one he won to her. "For you," he said with a smile.

"I love it," Misty said, taking the stuffed animal and hugging it. She then took out the little Charizard she got. "Here, from me to you." Misty gave it to Ash.

Ash smiled. "Thank you. It's great," Ash told her, putting it away in his bag.

Misty then caught sight of the biggest roller coaster in the park. "Come on, let's go," Misty said, dragging Ash along.

"Misty, I don't think so," Ash said, backing away.

"Come on! What, are you scared?" Misty joked and then saw Ash's face. "You are. Come on. We're going on."

Ash didn't want to, but couldn't seem to argue with Misty. Pikachu jumped off his shoulder and sat down with Charmander. _"We'll wait here," _Pikachu said, sitting by the exit of the rollercoaster.

_"Traitors," _Ash thought back as the two pokemon laughed at the look on their trainer's face as he was dragged onto the roller coaster. When they got off though, Ash didn't looked scared or horrified. He looked excited.

"That was awesome. Let's do that again," Ash said and Misty laughed, joining him as he went back on.

The day passed by and at the end of the night, Ash was returning Charmander again as they got back on Misty's Gyarados, following the direction the park employees gave them.

Ash's Pokémon(+ means still learning)

Scyther (Sarge) (M): Vacuum Wave, Quick Attack, Leer, Focus Energy, Pursuit, False Swipe, Agility, Wing Attack, Slash, Razor wind, X-Scissor+ Egg Move: Steel Wing (Locked).

Geodude (Peter) (M): Defense Curl, Tackle, Mud Sport, Rollout, Rock Throw, Magnitude. Egg move- Hammer arm (unlocked)

Pikachu (M): Thunder Shock, Thunder Wave, Quick Attack, Thunderbolt, Iron Tail, Agility, Thunder+ Egg Move: Volt Tackle (locked)

Shellder (F): Tackle, Withdraw, Icicle Shard, Razor Shell, Protect, Aurora Bean, Ice Beam. Egg Move: Water Gun (unlocked)

Nidorino (M): Leer, Peck, Focus Energy, Double Kick, Poison Sting, Drill Run, Fury Attack, Horn Attack. No egg move.

Bulbasaur (M): Tackle, Growl, Vine Whip, Poison Powder, Sleep Powder, Take Down, Razor Leaf, Sweet Scent, Growth, Double Edge and Worry Seed. Egg move: Nature Power (semi-unlocked)

Charmander (M) : Growl, Scratch, Ember, Smokescreen, Flamethrower, Metal Claw, Fire Fang, Flame Burst. Egg move: Dragon Rush (Locked)

Krabby (Rudolph) (M): Mud Sport, Bubble, Vice Grip, Leer, Harden, Bubble Beam, Mud Shot.

Misty's Pokémon:

Staryu: Harden, Tackle, Water Gun, Rapid Spin, Recover, Bubble Beam, Gyro Ball, Camouflage. No Egg Move

Seel (M): Headbutt, Growl, Water Sport, Icy Wind, Encore, Ice Shard, Ice Beam, Drill Run. Egg Move: Signal Beam.

Goldeen (F): Peck, Tail Whip, Water Sport, Supersonic, Horn Attack, Flail, Water Pulse, Aqua Ring. Egg Move: no egg move

Gloom (F): Absorb, Sweet Scent, Acid, Poison Powder, Stun Spore, Sleep Powder, Giga Drain, Mega Drain. Egg Move: Razor Leaf(unlocked)

Squirtle (M): Tackle, Tail Whip, Water Gun, Bubble, Bite, Rapid Spin, Protect. Egg move: Aqua Jet

Gyarados (M): Tackle, Thrash, Bite, Dragon Rage


	8. Chapter 8

A Different Path Chapter 8

**OMG, I'm sorry this took so long to post. I had writer's block. Hopefully, this chapter will be worth the wait!**

"Hello." Normal speech

_"Hello." _Ash, Pikachu, and Charmander's mind link

**_"Hello." _**Pokémon speech

Beauty and The Beach and Tentacool and Tentacruel

"Surf's up, dudes!" Ash yelled as he, Brock, and Pikachu jumped into the ocean. After last night's arrival at Porta Vista, the group decided to take a break from training and have a beach day.

"The water is cool." Ash said.

"And the beach is hot." Brock replied.

"_And you two are both masters at pointing out the obvious." _Pikachu muttered as he floated on a tiny inner tube. Ash stuck his tongue out at his starter when Brock wasn't looking and Pikachu just rolled his eyes.

"_Hey, where'd that little inner tube come from?" _Ash asked Pikachu.

"_Over there," _Pikachu thought back, pointing to a stall on the beach where a little old lady was handing out inner tubes. The sign on the stall read, Keep Your Pokémon Safe In The Ocean! Get Your Free Inner Tube Here!

"Weird." Ash muttered to himself.

"Hey, I thought you guys were going to meet me at the snack bar." Misty said, coming up to them. She was wearing her pink bikini and carrying a beach ball shaped like a Master Ball. Ash thought she looked incredible and simply stood there, staring at her. Pikachu laughed at the goofy look on Ash's face, but Ash didn't even hear him.

Misty frowned. "Why are you looking at me like that?"

"Um, I…You…" Ash stammered before getting his brain into gear. "You look nice. That swimsuit looks good on you." He admitted, then wanted to beat his head against the wall. Could he have sounded more stupid? She was probably going to hit him over the head with that mallet of hers.

But she didn't. Instead she blushed and murmured, "Thank you."

Brock let out a fake cough. "Lovebirds…" Misty glared at him and threw her beach ball at his face, knocking Brock into the water. Ash couldn't help but laugh, which was cut off when Misty playfully splashed him.

"I'm gonna get you for that!" Ash said, laughing as he chased Misty, splashing her when he caught up to her. She laughed and threw her beach ball at him, splashing him right in the face as he was trying to catch it. "No fair!" Ash yelled, laughing as he splashed her back.

She dodged it, laughing. "All's fair in love and splash wars." Then she noticed Brock staring dreamily at a pretty girl. She whispered something in Ash's ear and he grinned, both moving towards Brock. Just as Brock was about to approach the girl, Ash and Misty splashed him right in the face.

Brock sputtered. "Hey!" Ash and Misty just laughed. "Two on one, huh? Let's see how you handle this!" He pulled out a Super Soaker he had bought on a whim from the beach store.

"RUN!" Ash yelled to Misty and the two took off, Brock hot on their heels. Poor Pikachu was spun around on his inner tube as they rushed past him.

The group played together for a few more hours, letting their Pokémon out as well. The water Pokémon played in the ocean except for Rudolph, who decided he'd rather build a sand castle with Bulbasaur and Charmander. Scyther immediately fell asleep on Ash's beach towel and Squirtle decided it would be funny to shoot a Water Gun at him, but soon realized that was a mistake when a startled Scyther hit him with such a strong Razor Wind that he flew into the water.

Ash, Misty and Brock grew hungry and decided to head towards the snack bar. When they were about halfway there, they were approached from behind by a tall, brown haired girl with a stack of flyers in her hands. A Charmeleon walked beside her.

"Hello, I'm Angie. Please check out my website, Pokémon Adventures…Oh, hi, Ash!" she said as Ash turned to look at her.

"Hi, Angie." Ash greeted her with a smile. Angie was his neighbor and one of the other trainers who had started the same day he did.

"You two know each other?" Misty asked.

"Yeah. Angie lives a few doors down from me," Ash told her.

"Nice to meet you, Angie," Misty said, shaking her hand. Brock nodded, but his attention was more focused on a pretty girl in a bikini.

"So how are you doing?" Ash asked Angie.

"Great, just doing a little advertising for my website." Angie told him.

"Oh, yeah, Pokémon Adventures." Ash said with a smile. "I heard you and Janie talking about it one time. Speaking of Janie, how's she doing on her journey?" Janie was another of Ash's neighbors and Angie's best friend.

"You can ask her yourself. She's right over there." Angie told him, pointing to a short girl with light brown hair and thick glasses who was setting up a camera on a tripod. An Ivysaur and a Machoke were helping her as an Abra slept in the sand.

"Hi, Janie." Ash said, walking up to her. Startled, Janie jumped, nearly knocking her head on the camera, then turned around.

"Oh, hi Ash." Janie said with a smile. "How's your journey been going? What starter did you get?"

"I got Pikachu here." Ash told her. "I see you picked out Bulbasaur." He looked at her Ivysaur.

Janie smiled. "Yeah, he's awesome. And Angie was worried we were going to get into a fight on who got Charmander. But Mosi and I were friends from the start."

"As you can probably tell, Gary got Squirtle and he wouldn't stop bragging about how he got the best Pokémon there. He got on our nerves, so we just left. Sorry we didn't wait for you." Angie said.

"That's fine. Gary seems to have that effect on people." Ash told her with a smile.

Misty watched with a slight hint of what suspiciously felt like jealously as Ash talked and laughed with Janie and Angie, then did her best to push it out of her mind. Ash was allowed to be friends with other girls and they were his neighbors, for crying out loud! "Want to head over to the snack bar?" she asked.

Ash nodded. "Sounds good."

"What about you, Angie, Janie?" she asked, just to be polite.

Angie nodded. "Sure."

"I'd love to, but I need to get this camera set up before the contest starts." Janie said. "I'll meet you guys after I finish this."

"What contest?" Misty asked.

"The Porta Vista Beach Beauty, Pokemon Costume and Talent Contest." Janie answered.

"Janie got hired as photographer," Angie said, proud of her friend.

Misty's eyes lit up. "That sounds like fun! When does it start?"

"This afternoon, but they're still accepting entries if you want to sign up," Janie told her.

Misty smiled. "Thanks. Maybe I will."

"You should." Ash said supportively, making Misty blush. Angie and Janie exchanged smiles.

"Sign-up sheets are over at that table by the snack bar." Janie told them. "I'm actually entering James in the talent contest myself." She patted her Machoke on the arm.

The mentioned Machoke grinned. _**"My act's going to be epic."**_

Janie's Ivysaur rolled his eyes. _**"I still say you're going to fall and land on your head. I have no idea why you're doing that."**_

"_**What are you doing anyway?" **_Pikachu asked. James grinned and told him. Pikachu looked at him strangely. _**"He's right. You are going to land on your head."**_

"_**Hey, if the trick works, it'll be epic and Janie could win the thousand dollar prize. If it doesn't, the audience will have a great laugh and we can put it on Kanto's Funniest Home Videos." **_the Machoke said with a shrug. Pikachu just shook his head, then said goodbye and headed over with his trainer towards the snack bar.

…...

As they were walking to the snack bar after Misty signed up for the contest, they suddenly heard Brock's voice cry, "Guys, I need help! Get me out of here!" They turned to see Brock stuck inside a trash can.

"How on Earth…" Misty muttered as she, Angie, and Ash ran over to help. Ash held the can still as Angie and Misty pulled him out. "How did you get yourself stuck in a trash can?"

"Remember the pretty girl in a bikini?" Brock asked and they nodded. "Well, she has a very jealous boyfriend who happens to be very muscular and he didn't appreciate me telling his girlfriend she was Heaven's most beautiful angel."

"Brock, you have got to stop flirting with girls who have boyfriends." Ash sighed, picking a banana peel off his friend's shirt.

"Find me a nice single girl and I'll flirt with her," Brock told him.

"Hey, I know you!" Angie said. "I won my Boulder Badge from you!"

Brock looked at her, trying to place her face. "You're…the girl with the Machop right? He was very…intense."

"If by intense, you mean hard-headed, I agree." Angie said. Her Machop got into fights with everyone.

"What do you mean you're sick?" a man nearly shouted over the phone. He listened for the reply, then sighed. "I'm sorry. I hope you feel better." He hung up. "Now who am I going to get to be the announcer for the beauty contest?"

Brock went up to him. "Excuse me, sir, I couldn't help but overhear. Did you say you needed an announcer for a beauty contest?"

"Yes, my announcer got the flu and I don't know where I'll get another on such short notice. The beauty contest starts this afternoon." the man sighed.

"I could be your announcer." Brock said eagerly.

The man looked relieved. "Are you good at public speaking?"

"Very," Brock told him. "I was the Pewter City Gym Leader."

"Could you do it for a hundred dollars?" the man asked.

Brock checked his wallet. "All I have is thirty-five." he said, disappointed.

The man shook his head. "No, I'd be paying you to do the job." he told Brock, rolling his eyes.

"I'll take the job." Brock said immediately. The man thanked him and told him when and where to go to the stage before leaving.

As soon as he was out of earshot, Brock cheered and leapt into the air. "YES! I get to watch beautiful girls AND get paid!" He hugged Ash, Misty, and even Angie, who got annoyed and shoved him off her, then he started dancing around. "Someone pinch me; I must be dreaming!"

"_Okay, you asked for it," _Pikachu said, going over to Brock and lightly shocking him.

"It was a beautiful dream and it's turning into a nightmare!" Brock yelled as Pikachu shocked him.

Ash sweat dropped. "I have weird friends…"

"What did you say, Ketchum?!" Misty yelled, taking out her mallet and chasing him.

Angie rolled her eyes and looked up at the sky where a Pidgeotto, a camera around its neck, was coming in for a landing. "Did you get that?" she asked and Pidgeotto chirped and nodded. "Great. This will be awesome for our comedy page."

…...

Misty and Brock eventually calmed down and they headed towards the snack bar to pick up lunch. Angie bought a hamburger and fries for Janie, and as they were on their way back to the beach, Ash collided with someone. "Oops, I'm sorry…Mom?"

Delia turned to see Ash and drew him into a bone crunching hug, nearly squishing Pikachu. "Hi, Ashy! I'm so glad to see you, honey!"

"Mom…can't…breathe!" Ash gasped and Delia let him go.

"Sorry, honey, I missed you and with you being on that ship…" She shuddered.

"I'm all right, Mom." Ash told her, hugging her. "So what are you doing here?"

"I'm part of the Pallet Town Volunteer Patrol." Delia told him. "We were cleaning up the beach this morning. Professor Oak is…"

"Hello, everyone!" Professor Oak said cheerfully, walking up behind them.

"Hi, Professor Oak." both Ash and Angie said at the same time.

"I hope you're enjoying your journeys." Professor Oak told them. "All your Pokemon are doing great, though your Geodude still wants to battle everything that moves." he told Ash. "Thankfully, your Nidorino keeps him pretty much under control." Ash just shook his head at that. Peter would never change.

"All of your Pokemon have been doing great as well, Angie." Professor Oak told the brown haired girl. "I would like to take a look at the fine Kabuto you caught that you showed on your website." Angie agreed to this, taking out a Poke Ball and releasing a young Kabuto, who looked around, then hid behind Angie when it saw Professor Oak staring at it.

"It's okay, Kabuto." Angie soothed, picking the fossil Pokemon up. "She's a little shy." she told Professor Oak.

"Wow, how'd you get a Kabuto?" Ash asked.

"I got lost exploring and taping for my website somewhere between Mt. Moon and Cerulean and fell down a hole into an underground cave. The next thing I know, there's a bunch of red eyes coming at me, so I used the flash on my camera to scare them off and threw a Poké Ball. It wasn't until I got out and saw the picture that I realized what I caught."

"I wish you had gotten a better video though." Professor Oak said. "It would have been great for my research to get the exact location of those Kabuto."

"Hey, I got lost and fell down a hole," Angie replied. "I was lucky to get anything at all. I'm just glad I didn't lose my camera."

Professor Oak nodded at that as he looked over the Kabuto. "I'm getting regular reports from both Ash and Gary, but I haven't heard much from Jane or gotten any Pokémon from her. Do either of you know how she's doing?"

"She's doing fine. She's right over there actually, if you want to talk to her," Angie said, pointing to where Janie was finishing setting up her camera.

"Oh. Hello, Jane!" Professor Oak called.

"Hi, Professor Oak," she said, walking up to them.

"So how has your journey been going and how many Pokémon have you captured?" Professor Oak asked.

"It's been going great and I now have four Pokémon." Janie told him.

Professor Oak frowned. "Jane, that's not very many. You'll have trouble in the League if you don't catch more Pokémon."

"Actually, I…um…" Janie stammered.

"Go ahead, Janie, tell him." Angie encouraged her as her Machoke and Bulbasaur nodded.

"I'm more interested in research than I am in battling." Janie said. "I might still try taking on the gyms, but I like exploring and doing research better than battling."

Professor Oak nodded. "Well, Jane, there are two choices on how you go about this. You could either try to capture every Pokémon you can…" He noticed Jane and her Pokémon didn't seem to be too keen on the idea. "Or I could make you a junior field researcher and get you a Research Dex. Basically, you'd be observing Pokémon in the wild and taking notes on their behavior for me to study."

Janie's eyes lit up. "I'd like that, Professor Oak. Thank you."

"No problem." Professor Oak said. "Just make sure to work hard and take lots of notes and that's all the thanks I'll need. Jane, remember, you don't have to make your journey match everybody else's, and the same goes for all of you." he told the others, then turned back to Janie.

"If you don't like to battle, there are other careers out there that involve Pokémon, and you can still keep your team if that's what you're concerned about. The main reason trainers go on journeys is to find out what they like and what they're good at. Some find they like Gym Battles, some like contests, some find they enjoy breeding or research, some even find that they like playing sports with their Pokémon. Try different things to see what you like, but don't force yourself to do something your heart isn't into, just because it's what other trainers do." Professor Oak told them all, though he was mainly speaking to Janie. The group nodded.

"Brock, you're needed onstage." one of the techs for the beauty contest said. Brock nodded and left quickly.

"Attention everyone, the Porta Vista Beach Beauty and Pokémon Costume and Talent Contest begins in thirty minutes. If anyone else wants to enter, now is the time!" Brock's voice announced over the loudspeaker.

"I'm already entered, so I'll start heading backstage." Misty said, walking away.

"I could enter you in the costume contest. Want to sign up?" Ash joked to Pikachu as some girl walked by with an indignant Eevee who was trying to tear off the dress it was wearing.

Pikachu glared at him. _"Very funny, Ketchum. You may be my best friend, but if you try to force me into one of those ridiculous costumes, I will zap you."_

…...

Meanwhile, Team Rocket was staring at their wrecked Meowth balloon. "James, you idiot! You wrecked our balloon!" Jessie yelled.

"It's not my fault!" James protested. "Meowth was supposed to be keeping lookout!"

"I was!" Meowth retorted. "I saw the Pidgeot and I yelled, "Look out!" You're the one who didn't turn in time!"

"Yeah, because you only gave me a two second warning!" James yelled.

"Yeah, well…Jessie was supposed to be keeping lookout too, but she was too busy brushing her hair!"

"Hey, it takes work to keep me looking this good!" Jessie protested.

"How are we supposed to pay to repair our balloon?" James asked. He opened his wallet and flies came out of it. "Because we're broke!"

"Attention everyone, the Porta Vista Beach Beauty and Pokémon Costume and Talent Contest will begin shortly! Top prizes are a thousand dollars for each category, so if you'd like to sign up, now's your last chance!" Brock announced over the loudspeaker.

Jessie, James, and Meowth exchanged evil grins. "I think we just found a way to pay for our balloon." James said.

…...

Ash, Professor Oak, Angie, and Delia took their seats, waiting for the contest to begin as Janie went backstage to take photographs of the contestants before the contest, then came back out to take her place at her tripod to film the contest.

"Attention ladies and gentleman, the annual Porta Vista Beach Beauty and Pokémon Costume and Talent Contest will now begin!" Brock announced. "Now please give a warm welcome to our first contestant, the lovely and talented Misty Waterflower!"

Misty walked onto the stage in her pink bikini, smiling and waving as the audience cheered. Ash stared at her, thinking she looked incredible. Pikachu, who was sitting on Ash's lap with Charmander, started chuckling, then waved a paw in front of Ash's face. _"Hey, Ash, you in there?"_

Ash blinked, then turned to Pikachu. "Huh? Oh, sure, Pikachu, I'll get you some ketchup after the contest." he mumbled, his eyes going back to Misty.

Pikachu laughed. _**"Remind me to get Misty to dazzle Ash more often." **_he joked to Charmander, who was trying to hide a laugh of his own.

"Misty is a Water Type trainer who sure is making a big splash here today!" Brock said. "Now let's take a look at the costume she and her Pokémon have created!" Squirtle, wearing an alien helmet, floated down on top of Starmie, who was hovering with his gem side down. "Well, this is a very imaginative costume! It's Starmie and Squirtle as extraterrestrials in their flying saucer!" Starmie and Squirtle flew in slow circles around Misty and Squirtle released a small water spout in the air, grinning and loving the attention. "Excellent job, Misty!" Brock said as the crowd went wild, Ash cheering the loudest.

Misty left the stage as the next contestant entered. "And next, we have two Pokémon calling themselves the Rocket Boosters, dressed as a legendary Pokémon." Brock announced, frowning.

Pikachu slapped his forehead. _"I think we know who they are…" _he muttered, and was proven right when Koffing floated onto the stage, a big clump of grass over its face and Ekans curled around its head in a spiral.

"That is a very…interesting costume." Brock said. "I believe it's supposed to be Omastar, and the Pokémon are Ekans and Koffing."

"Interesting is one way of putting it." Angie muttered, looking at the poorly thought out costume.

Suddenly, a sandaled foot kicked Ekans and Koffing out of the way. "Get lost." a familiar voice said in a taunting tone and Ash growled inwardly as Gary walked onto the stage, his fan club of six beautiful girls behind him.

"_He seems pleasant." _Pikachu said sarcastically.

"And now we have a surprise appearance by Gary Oak, an up and coming Pokémon trainer, accompanied by a squad of his adoring and adorable fans." Brock announced.

"I forgot to mention my grandson came along with us." Professor Oak said sheepishly.

Gary saw Ash in the front row and smirked. "Ash, I know you're out there in the crowd somewhere! But I didn't come here to make you jealous of me, Ash. I came here so that my adorable fan club members could make you jealous of me!"

"Gary, Gary, he's our man! He'll trash Ash, we know he can!" the fan club cheered. Ash clenched his fists, trying his hardest not to lose his temper, and Pikachu and Charmander began growling.

"Thank you, fans! Great cheer!" Gary told them before turning back to Ash. "How'd you like that, Ashy? I wrote it myself. A little present from me, the greatest trainer in Pallet Town, much better than the loser who came late and got the wimpy Pikachu, the little wanna be famous trainer next to him, and the girl that's scared of battles!"

Janie flinched a little at the last insult, then had to hold her pissed off Ivysaur back from going on the stage and pummeling Gary. Angie rolled her eyes at being called a "wanna be famous trainer" and whispered to Ash, "How were you once friends with him?" while holding her own angry Charmeleon back.

But Ash was too busy trying to hold back an enraged Charmander to answer. _**"He dares to insult my trainer and my friend?! Let me at him, let me at him!" **_Charmander yelled, trying to go beat up Gary. Ash picked him off the ground, holding him tightly, but Charmander continued to "run" in the air, his little feet moving at top speed. Angie was taping all this, trying not to laugh.

_"Don't worry, guys, I'll take care of this." _Pikachu said, his voice deadly calm. He jumped off Ash's lap before Ash could stop him and rushed over to the stage, giving Gary a good zap, hard enough to hurt a little but not do any serious damage. Gary yelped in pain, his hair sticking up all over the place.

People in the audience started laughing. "You deserved that!" somebody yelled. Pikachu ran back to Ash and took his place back on his trainer's lap, looking smug and satisfied. Gary, seeing he would get no support from the audience, glared at Ash and Pikachu and left the stage.

Angie was grinning. "I got that all on tape! This is going straight on my website! I'm calling it "Jerk Gets Zapped."

Ash smiled. "Can't wait to see it." he said, petting Pikachu. But he suddenly jerked up when he heard a loud rumbling noise that shook the entire beach.

"GYARADOS!" someone screamed as a huge Gyarados-shaped submarine shot out of the water and onto the beach. People began screaming and running.

"Where's Misty?" Ash exclaimed in fear as the Gyarados submarine headed towards the stage. He got up and began to run towards the stage, as did Brock, Janie, and Angie.

"And first place for Best In Show, Team Rocket!" Meowth cheered from inside the sub. "And we win...all the money!" All the beauty contestants scattered, but several bumped into Misty, knocking her to the ground dazed as the submarine came at the stage. Misty was right in its path.

But before the submarine could reach her, there was a deafening roar, and Misty's very real and very pissed off Gyarados barrelled iinto it, keeping it away from Misty. Misty was silently thanking Arceus that she had let her Gyarados out to relax and swim while she was doing the contest as she looked up at her most protective Pokémon.

Gyarados placed his large body between her and the threat, growling angrily. How dare anyone try to attack his trainer?! He roared and charged a Hyper Beam, firing it right into the fake Gyarados's mouth. Team Rocket was blasted off through the safety hatch in the top.

"Team Rocket's blasting off again!" Jessie, James, and Meowth screamed in unison as they became mere specks in the distance.

Once he was sure the threat was gone, Gyarados turned back to Misty, his eyes going from enraged to concerned. He nuzzled her and checked her over.

"It's okay, buddy, I'm fine." Misty reassured him, getting up shakily. She threw her arms around him and hugged him. "You saved me again. Thank you." Gyarados nuzzled her and let out a rumble that sounded like a purr. People gasped in shock, some grabbing their cameras and taking pictures.

...

Everything was soon cleaned up and the contest started again and had been going on for almost an hour. Gyarados had returned to the water, but stayed close to the shore, watching over Misty protectively.

Ash yawned and petted Pikachu and Charmander, who were asleep in his lap. He was completely bored. The only interesting thing that had happened after the contest began again was when Janie's Machoke took the stage. The Machoke had done a trick where he balanced on an exercise ball while juggling and it had gone completely wrong. The Machoke had done fine until Janie's Abra had tossed him the last ball, but as he tried to catch it, he had gotten off balance and fallen flat on his face, the balls he was juggling landing on his head while the exercise ball bounced into the audience. Janie's Machoke hadn't been phased or embarassed by the mishap though, and simply got up and gave the audience an exaggerated bow that had everyone laughing.

But most of the other contestants weren't even remotely entertaining, though Ash knew Brock was probably drooling over the girls in swimsuits. Most of the "talent" competition seemed to be Pokémon trying to rip off their ridiculous costumes and giving their trainers death glares, though there were a few showy appeals, like the Ember/Psychic combination a trainer and her Delphox used to create fireworks on stage. Still, Ash was bored silly and was about to join Pikachu and Charmander in slumber when he was snapped to attention.

"And now I will announce the winners of this year's Porta Vista Beach Beauty and Pokémon Costume and Talent contest!" Brock called over the loudspeaker. Ash crossed his fingers as Brock began announcing the winners. Finally, he reached Misty's category. "And the winner for most imaginative costume is...Misty Waterflower!"

"Yes!" Ash cheered, jumping to his feet and forgetting Pikachu and Charmander were in his lap. Both Pokémon yelped as they tumbled to the ground. Pikachu gave Ash a death glare and a mild shock. People around Ash started laughing and the raven haired trainer sheepishly sat back down, pulling Pikachu and Charmander back into his lap again and apologizing.

_"Never do that again." _Pikachu growled.

"Sorry, I just was excited because Misty won." Ash told him. This mollified the yellow mouse, who cheered for Misty as well as she accepted her check and trophy. The rest of the winners were announced after that, and Ash and Angie cheered for Janie as her Machoke got second place in the talent competition for "Most Interesting Act." The prize was a hundred dollar gift card to the Poké Mart. The Delphox, of course, won first place.

After the contest was over, Ash hugged his mother goodbye and waved her and Professor Oak off as they headed off. Delia of course left him with the reminder to change his underwear every day, which had Misty, Brock, Pikachu, and Charmander holding back laughter. Angie didn't even bother holding it in.

Soon enough Janie had finished packing her camera equipment and it was time for her and Angie to say goodbye as well. "It was great seeing you guys." Janie said.

Angie nodded. "And you gave me a lot of material for my comedy page." she joked.

"You don't know the half of it." Misty muttered, watching Brock attempt to flirt with another pretty girl, which of course led to him getting slapped in the face.

Ash checked his watch. "Guys, if we don't hurry, we're going to miss our ferry." he said quickly.

Angie nodded. "Bye guys! I'm sure we'll meet again soon!"

"Have a good journey." Janie told them.

"You too." Ash told them as he, Misty, and Brock hurried off to catch their ferry.

...

"I can't believe we missed the ferry." Misty groaned.

Ash sighed and flopped down on the dock with Pikachu on his lap. Charmander had asked to go back in the Poké Ball as he hated boats. "And now we're going to be stuck here for three hours." He pulled out his laptop. "I'm going to check out Angie's site. I want to see if she uploaded Jerk Gets Zapped." He typed in the web address and a well made webpage came up. There were five sections, Pokémon, Battles, Gyms, Comedy, and Misc. Ash clicked on the comedy section and the video of Gary was the first thing that popped up. He immediately clicked on it.

"Oh man, this is hiliarous." Misty laughed. Angie had caught everything, even Ash holding Charmander back as Pikachu ran to the stage and zapped Gary. "The look on that jerk's face...Pikachu, you're awesome."

_"I know." _Pikachu said smugly.

"I think I'm gonna watch this a few dozen more times." Ash joked.

"In a sec...check under the Gyms tab. I want to see if she did anything on the Cerulean Gym." Misty said. Ash nodded and clicked the link, searching for the Cerulean Gym. He quickly found a video on it and clicked on the video and watched as Angie defeated the Cerulean Gym easily, Misty's sisters barely putting out any effort. Comments under the video from various site visitors read, "This gym sucks," "I got my badge in less than five minutes too," "Those girls are awful battlers," and "Did you hear they're actually giving out badges for free?"

"This is humiliating." Misty growled. "My sisters are giving Cerulean Gym a bad name." She sighed. "Maybe if I become a water Pokémon master, I can bring Cerulean back to its former glory."

"You will." Ash told her.

She smiled and was about to thank him when she noticed something in the water coming towards them. "What's that?"

Ash looked up from his laptop and leaned over to see what she was pointing to, his head almost on her shoulder. "What?"

"That blue thing coming towards us." Misty said. It moved closer and Misty saw that it was a tiny Horsea. "Aww, a Horsea! It's so adorable!"

"It looks like it's injured." Brock said, noticing that it had a black eye.

"C'mere, little guy." Misty said as she took out a Hyper Potion. The Horsea came closer, but was still out of reach. "It's okay. I just want to heal you up."

The Horsea came a little closer, trying to say something, then sprayed an ink drawing of what looked to be a group of jellyfish.

_"Pikachu, what's it saying?" _Ash asked his starter through the link.

Pikachu's eyes widened. _"This is bad. It's saying..."_

KABOOM!

Everyone let out a scream and turned at the sudden noise. A boat had literally exploded in the middle of the water, sending some sailors flying into the ocean.

"We've got to help them! Go! Gyarados!" Misty called, letting out her Gyarados. The serpentine Pokémon looked at his trainer to see what she needed. Ash ran to call 911.

"Gyarados, the sailors in the water, please help them!" Misty told Gyarados who nodded and rushed to rescue the sailors, who began panicking.

_**"Will you guys stop freaking out and hold still?" **_Gyarados muttered though he knew they couldn't understand him, diving under both sailors and lifting them out of the water. The sailors stopped freaking out once they realized he was there to help. Gyarados carried them back to shore where Ash, Brock, and Misty helped them off and checked them over.

"They look to be paralyzed." Brock said. They heard sirens in the distance and Ash ran off to guide the paramedics to the dock.

"What happened to you?" Misty asked one of the sailors.

The guy still appeared to be in shock. "The boss...I got to tell the boss what happened..." Ash came running back, leading the paramedics over. Underneath the deck, Horsea watched worriedly.

...

"I can't believe this!" Misty exclaimed angrily as she stormed out of the boss's office, Ash, Brock and Pikachu right behind her. The woman that had hired the sailors had to be one of the cruelest...and craziest...people they had come across. The boss, a short red-headed old woman named Nastina, had thanked them for saving her sailors, then wouldn't let them leave until she showed them the new resort she was building. That wouldn't have been so bad if she hadn't started ranting angrily about the Tentacool that were apparently sabatoging her resort and saying she was going to exterminate them all. She offered Ash, Misty, and Brock a million dollars, free dinners, and hotel stays to kill the Tentacool for her, but all three had refused, Misty being the most vocal about it. "Why would she want to kill all those cute Tentacool?"

Ash looked up Tentacool on his Pokédex. Personally, he thought they were kind of ugly, but Misty liked them, and to each their own. "I'm not sure, Mist. It's downright cruel. I wonder if there's anything we can do to stop her." He remembered the ink drawings the Horsea had made. "I wonder if this is what that Horsea was trying to warn us about."

"Horsea!" Misty gasped. "We left it out there injured!" She began to run towards the dock when she heard a desparate cry.

"Horsea!" The little Horsea cried as it was being being pursued by an angry Tentacool, swimming for its life towards Misty.

"Don't worry, Horsea! I'll save you!" Misty called. "Go, Gloom!" Misty's Gloom appeared, glaring at her oppenent. "Use Razor Leaf!"

The Tentacool dived underwater to avoid the attack, then charged towards Gloom, preparing a Water Pulse. "Razor Leaf again!" Misty called and this time the attack struck, hurting the Tentacool, but it still powered through it and hit Gloom with a Water Pulse, making Gloom stumble backwards.

"Use Giga Drain to regain some of your energy!" Misty called and Gloom hit the Tentacool with Giga Drain. The Tentacool staggered backwards, then tried to get back in the water. "Block it from going back in the water, then use Razor Leaf!" Misty called. Gloom hit the Tentacool hard with Razor Leaf and it fell to the ground. Misty tossed a Poké Ball at the Tentacool and the ball rattled once, twice, three times...then burst open. The angry Tentacool grabbed Gloom in a Constrict.

"Razor Leaf to make it let you go!" Misty called, and Gloom hit the Tentacool with one more Razor Leaf right to the face, which made the Tentacool let go and fall to the ground. Misty threw the Poké Ball again. It rattled once, twice, three times...then clicked shut. "Yes! I caught a Tentacool!" Misty cheered, jumping up and doing the V for Victory sign that Ash always did.

"Hey, you stole my pose!" Ash mock-whined jokingly.

"It's actually really fun. I'll have to do it more often." Misty said with a laugh.

"Maybe I should start doing it." Brock joked, and Ash rolled his eyes at his two friends.

Misty's attention returned to Horsea. "Hey, little one, are you okay?" she asked softly, scooping it up. She sprayed a Hyper Potion over it and its wounds immediately started to heal, the black eye fading away as well. "Feel better now?" The little Horsea nodded, but then looked worried and tried to say something.

_"She's saying that the Tentacool are angry because their homes are being destroyed and that they're attacking any boat that comes near their area." _Pikachu told Ash.

"Horsea, I wish I knew what you were saying." Misty mumured.

"Hey, remember those drawings Horsea did earlier? They kind of looked like Tentacool." Brock said.

"Maybe he was trying to ask us for help because that Tentacool was after him." Misty said. "Is that right, Horsea?" Horsea shook his head.

"Maybe there's a connection between what Horsea's trying to tell us and the Tentacool attacking the boats going to the resort." Ash told them. "Didn't Nastina say that the resort was being built on a..."

"Coral reef!" Misty exclaimed before Ash could finish his sentence, catching on. "That's why the Tentacool are attacking! They're trying to protect their homes."

"Is building on a coral reef even safe?" Brock asked. "Or legal?"

"I don't know about safe, though it definitely doesn't sound safe, but it's definitely not legal." Misty said. "You can't build within a certain distance of a coral reef, and if the Tentacool are this upset, she's definitely violating that code."

"Then this problem has an easy solution. Let's go to the Pokémon Center and call the Rangers." Ash suggested. "If the construction is shut down, the Tentacool should stop attacking boats."

"Good idea, Ash." Misty said, getting up. "Let's go." She checked Horsea over again, who snuggled closer to her chest. "Hey, little one, are you feeling better?" The little Horsea wrapped its tail around her arm and nodded, giving her a pleading look. "What's wrong, Horsea?" Horsea wriggled around in her arms, finding an empty Poké Ball on her belt, and began nudging it. "Are you saying you want to come with me?" she asked and the little Horsea bounced in her arms and nodded. Misty smiled widely. "I'd like that. You'd need to stay at Professor Oak's lab for a little while, but you will be on the team soon. Is that okay?" Horsea nodded and Misty tapped the Poké Ball against her, sucking her inside. The ball clicked shut without even a struggle.

The group headed to the Pokémon Center. Misty first sent Goldeen and Horsea to Professor Oak so her Poké Balls would unlock, then called the Rangers, explaining the situation. They said they would send a team over right away to shut down the hotel.

"Well, looks like everything's going to be okay." Ash said with relief. Then a loudspeaker crackled.

"Citizens of Porta Vista, listen up!" Nastina's voice boomed through the loudspeaker. "Effective immediately, I'm recruiting volunteers to exterminate the Tentacool terrorizing our town!"

"You were saying, Ash?" Misty growled, giving her best friend a glare. She then informed the Ranger she was talking to about what was going on, though the Ranger could actually hear it over the speaker.

"I will award one million dollars to anyone who can exterminate the Tentacool!" Nastina called. "Isn't Nastina generous?"

_"Not if you're a Tentacool." _Pikachu muttered.

"Anyone who wants money and to help with the development of our town, come to the yacht harbor immediately!" Nastina called.

"No one could do something that cruel for money! How ridiculous!" Misty said. But just as she was saying that, people began rushing from their places in the Pokémon Center, some even leaving their Pokémon behind as they rushed out the door. A few people crashed into Ash and knocked him and Pikachu to the floor.

"Apparently it wasn't so ridiculous to them." Ash groaned, picking up Pikachu as Brock helped him up. All four ran to the yacht harbor, hoping the rangers would arrive quickly.

And of course, where there was money to be gotten, there was Team Rocket, arriving on a speedboat as Nastina called for volunteers. The first thing they did was go through their motto.

_"Darn, can't hit them with Thunderbolt from here." _ Pikachu groaned.

"Uh-oh, this is bad." Misty said as Team Rocket took off in their speedboat. "How do we stop them?"

"WE don't need to." Ash said, pointing at a boat coming in quickly that had the Rangers symbol on the side. The Ranger's boat quickly followed Team Rocket.

"We're gonna make a million!" Meowth cheered.

"And we do it with...oof...our Super Secret stun sauce." James said, carrying a barrel of the stun sauce to the side of the boat and prepared to dump it on the school of approaching Tentacool.

A loud siren went off. "Stop what you're doing and leave the Tentacool alone!" a blond haired ranger yelled through a megaphone. But this succeeded in startling James, who dropped the barrel, which landed on a Tentacool's head, making it grunt in pain. The Tentacool then started to glow and began rapidly growing until it became a Tentacruel that was the size of a skyscraper.

"AHH! We super-sized it! James yelled before being grabbed by the angry Tentacruel and flung into the distance. The Tentacruel did the same with Jessie, then smashed their boat, grabbing Meowth. It made a signal to a Tentacool who carefully climbed up and placed a tentacle on either side of Meowth's head.

Meowth's eyes began to glow and he said in a creepy double voice, "Humans, you have destroyed our home!"

"That was not us, but a human who disobeyed the law and illegally built the hotel." the ranger called back through a megaphone. "The construction will be shut down and there will be no more building on your reef."

"How can we trust you?" the Tentacruel growled angrily, still using Meowth as a puppet.

"Listen, the actions of one bad person is not the entire species." the ranger said. "And our job as Pokémon Rangers is to protect Pokémon, not to hurt them. We're here because a group of kids contacted us after hearing what the owner of the hotel was trying to do to you so we could help you."

The Tentacruel seemed to calm down a little and looked at the Ranger, studying him to see whether he was telling the truth or not. Finally, the Tentacruel decided he was. "All right." the Tentacruel said. "Do what you need to do, but our home is to be left alone from now on." The giant Tentacruel then threw Meowth and moved slowly back into the water.

Meowth flew screaming and landed on top of Jessie and James. "At least we managed to land on something soft." James groaned.

"And squishy." Jessie said, poking the gelatinous surface they were laying on. "It's almost like we're laying on..." The gems of the school of Tentacool they landed on lit up. "TENTACOOL!" they screamed together, jumping off the Tentacool and practically running on the water back to shore. The school of Tentacool looked at each other, gave the jellyfish version of a shrug, then continued on their way.

...

"Well, that was one of the weirder situations we've been in." Ash said as they boarded the ferry. Nastina had been arrested and led away screaming after she attempted to shoot the giant Tentacruel with a machine gun and her hotel was being dismantled.

"We'll probably have much weirder ones." Misty muttered.

"Hey, don't jinx us!" Ash said as the ferry carried them towards Saffron City and their next adventure.

Ash's Pokémon(+ means still learning)

Scyther (Sarge) (M): Vacuum Wave, Quick Attack, Leer, Focus Energy, Pursuit, False Swipe, Agility, Wing Attack, Slash, Razor wind, X-Scissor+ Egg Move: Steel Wing (Locked).

Geodude (Peter) (M): Defense Curl, Tackle, Mud Sport, Rollout, Rock Throw, Magnitude. Egg move- Hammer arm (unlocked)

Pikachu (M): Thunder Shock, Thunder Wave, Quick Attack, Thunderbolt, Iron Tail, Agility, Thunder+ Egg Move: Volt Tackle (locked)

Shellder (F): Tackle, Withdraw, Icicle Shard, Razor Shell, Protect, Aurora Bean, Ice Beam. Egg Move: Water Gun (unlocked)

Nidorino (M): Leer, Peck, Focus Energy, Double Kick, Poison Sting, Drill Run, Fury Attack, Horn Attack. No egg move.

Bulbasaur (M): Tackle, Growl, Vine Whip, Poison Powder, Sleep Powder, Take Down, Razor Leaf, Sweet Scent, Growth, Double Edge and Worry Seed. Egg move: Nature Power (semi-unlocked)

Charmander (M) : Growl, Scratch, Ember, Smokescreen, Flamethrower, Metal Claw, Fire Fang, Flame Burst. Egg move: Dragon Rush (Locked)

Krabby (Rudolph) (M): Mud Sport, Bubble, Vice Grip, Leer, Harden, Bubble Beam, Mud Shot.

Misty's Pokémon:

Staryu: Harden, Tackle, Water Gun, Rapid Spin, Recover, Bubble Beam, Gyro Ball, Camouflage. No Egg Move

Seel (M): Headbutt, Growl, Water Sport, Icy Wind, Encore, Ice Shard, Ice Beam, Drill Run. Egg Move: Signal Beam.

Goldeen (F): Peck, Tail Whip, Water Sport, Supersonic, Horn Attack, Flail, Water Pulse, Aqua Ring. Egg Move: no egg move

Gloom (F): Absorb, Sweet Scent, Acid, Poison Powder, Stun Spore, Sleep Powder, Giga Drain, Mega Drain. Egg Move: Razor Leaf(unlocked)

Squirtle (M): Tackle, Tail Whip, Water Gun, Bubble, Bite, Rapid Spin, Protect. Egg move: Aqua Jet

Gyarados (M): Tackle, Thrash, Bite, Dragon Rage, Hyper Beam

Tentacool(M): Poison Sting, Constrict, Supersonic, Acid, Toxic Spikes, Water Pulse

Horsea(F): Bubble, Smokescreen, Leer, Water Gun


	9. Chapter 9

"Hello." normal speech

"_Hello." _Ash/Pikachu/Charmander mental link, telepathy

"_**Hello." **_Pokémon speech

After the whole Tentacool and Tentacruel thing, Ash and his friends had had some adventures. On an island, a Ghastly had made Brock and James from Team Rocket fall in love with the ghost of Maiden's Peak. They had managed to stop the Ghastly, but Ash had been unable to catch him. The good part about that adventure was that they had finally found a use for the Team Rocket motto. It really helped finding James and Brock when they disappeared. Also Ash couldn't help but think the best part was seeing Misty in that dress after everything was over and dancing with her. Even if he had stepped on her feet.

Afterwards, the group had ended up seeing a pink Butterfree during some type of mating thing for Butterfree. That had been shocking since even what was considered the shiny versions of a Butterfree wasn't pink. Brock had shrugged and said there were many things about Pokémon we don't know.

Now they weren't too far from Saffron City. Ash knew Misty was excited to get there and get her Pokédex that Oak said he sent to the Pokémon Center there, but he had asked her to stop to train for a while. Misty agreed, wanting to train some more as well.

From the Gym Rater site, the two knew Sabrina was considered one of the harder gyms in Kanto. She had one of the best defenses of the badges rates. They also knew it was a two on two battle and that Sabrina usually used two Pokémon from the Abra evolutionary line.

Misty had right away chosen Squirtle and Gyarados to battle in the gym. It hadn't been a hard choice for her at all. Misty had been working on strategy more then learning new moves since she figured she needed a good one to beat Sabrina. One part of the strategy had been teaching Gyarados Twister and Crunch since it was a dark type move that was stronger than Bite that Gyarados could learn. He had taken up on both moves quickly. She had borrowed Ash's pokemon and discovered Squirtle could learn Zen Headbutt and started him on that. It didn't seem like he would have is mastered in time for the battle. Her other pokemon were all training as well, wanting to surprise their trainer with new moves, all except for Tentacool who watched, annoyed that he had been caught.

Ash, on the other hand, knew he was using Sarge. The bug Pokémon had mastered X-Scissor and was starting to learn Bug Buzz. Unfortunately, he was having some problems that involved falling flat on his face during training. This made the other Pokémon laugh. He was having a problem figuring out who his second Pokémon should be though.

Peter and Nidorino were still hanging out at the lab and Ash had decided a while ago he wouldn't use either of them for this battle anyway. Charmander was itching for a battle, but Ash wanted to use him in the grass gym and possibly the poison gym afterward. He was trying to be fair with the gym battles, giving all his Pokémon a chance to fight and besides that Charmander didn't know and couldn't really learn any effective moves against psychic types so Ash told him next time.

That left Krabby, Bulbasaur, Shellder, and Pikachu. Shellder had had two gym battles already and had the same problem as Charmander with moves so Ash shook his head. Shellder was out. Bulbasaur had officially learned it's egg move and Ash was looking for another move to teach him. He hadn't been in a gym battle yet, but once again the moves were not there. Krabby and Pikachu also had the same problem, which means Ash had a problem.

_"Use me," _Ash suddenly heard from his starter as he sat there thinking. _"I know I can't learn anything that useful, but I am quick and have some powerful moves. I've only been in one gym battle since I chose not to fight Misty and I know you don't really have a plan to use me in any upcoming gym battles. I can do it." _

_"You sure?" _Ash thought back and got a positive answer from Pikachu.

_"Ash, it's not all about type and moves. Look at Misty. She defeated Surge using Squirtle. I'm sure we can figure something out to defeat Sabrina," _Pikachu said and Ash smiled. He knew sometimes he got too caught up in thinking about moves and types.

_"Okay, let's do it," _Ash said back with a smile. That smile faded when he heard someone yell _"Help!" _in his mind. He knew it wasn't Pikachu or Charmander and it didn't feel like it came from one of his mental links. It felt different but was definitely a call for help.

Ash got up and ran in the direction he could feel the call coming from with Pikachu and Charmander not far behind him; the two of them also having heard the call. The others were confused for a minute, but followed soon after.

It wasn't long later that Ash saw a very injured Abra laying on the ground. _"You came, young psychic," _Ash heard in his mind but he knew he hadn't created another mental link. This was different. It felt like it was being forced into his mind while the mental links felt more natural. Just like hearing someone talking. This must be Abra using telepathic abilities.

"We have to get her to a Pokémon Center,' Ash said, picking up the Abra, and the group didn't waste time as they ran to Saffron City and the Pokemon Center there.

The group ended up very out of breath as they put the Abra into the arms of Nurse Joy. "We found… her in the woods," Ash explained, pausing in the middle to take a deep breath.

Nurse Joy jumped into action right away, calling for Chansey and bringing the Abra into the back. "She'll be fine," Misty told Ash. "We got her here in time." Misty decided not to ask how Ash knew where she was. There was time for that later.

It felt like hours before Nurse Joy had reappeared. "She's resting and will be fine," Nurse Joy said. "This was definitely the work of Pokémon poachers though. I'm going to give Officer Jenny a call and let her know. You may go back if you want."

The Joy didn't even wait for them to answer as she went to the phone and the three went back into the room Abra was laying in. _"Young psychic," _Ash heard the same voice again. _"As you have guessed, you have not made another mental link. I am putting my thoughts in your mind so I can talk to you. I sense great power and great things ahead for you and your red haired mate." _Ash paused, unsure why this Abra would call Misty his mate. _"I wish to join you."_

At that time Nurse Joy came over. "Nurse Joy, I want to ask this Abra to join my team. If she agrees, may I catch her?" Ash asked.

"Yes, but she will be unable to train or battle for a while," Nurse Joy said.

"When I catch her, she'll be transferred directly to Professor Oak's," Ash told Nurse Joy. "I'll leave her with him until she's ready."

Nurse Joy nodded, trusting Professor Oak with Abra's care and already planning on sending him instructions on how to care for her. Ash held out an empty Poké Ball and made a show of asking Abra. Abra pushed the button and was instantly caught and transferred to Oak.

Nurse Joy went to her computer to email the instructions and how she treated Abra to Oak. "By the way, are you Misty Waterflower?" Nurse Joy asked when she was done and Misty nodded. Nurse Joy took out a package and gave it to Misty. Misty opened it to find her Pokédex inside. Hers was blue instead of red, but she couldn't help but smile as she held it.

The next day, the three had decided to head over to the gym. Before they entered, they were shocked by a guy appearing out of nowhere. "Welcome," the man said with an amused smile on his face from the shock he had caused. "Do you three wish to challenge my daughter for a badge?"

"They do. I don't," Brock said.

"Well, welcome to the Saffron Gym. We double as not only a gym, but a psychic school for those who wish to attend," the man now known as the gym leader's father said. "I will show you to my daughter."

The man started walking and Ash, Misty, and Brock followed him to a large gym area.

"Daughter of mine," the man said as he entered and a woman appeared out of the darkness of a corner.

When she showed you could almost see the hearts in Brock eyes. He went to run up to her, about to declare his undying love, but before he got there he was picked up into the air and Sabrina's eyes glowed. "I will not date you and you will not touch me, understand?" Sabrina said in a cold voice and Brock merely nodded as he was put down.

"That was unnecessary, Sabrina," her father said.

"I actually don't blame her on that one," Misty whispered to Ash, making the boy giggle.

At that point Sabrina finally looked over at the two and paused. A small look of shock came over her face that no one besides the people who knew her best would be able to see.

"My challengers, I assume," Sabrina said, getting herself back into gym leader personality. "Misty Waterflower of the Cerulean Gym. I heard you were taking on the league. Many gym leaders are rooting for you and hoping you will one day bring back the pride to the Cerulean Gym. Don't think that means we're going to be easy on you."

Misty nodded, shocked, and then Sabrina turned over to Ash. "Ash Ketchum," Sabrina said. "A young psychic, I can see. You made mental links with two of your Pokémon. That Pikachu on your shoulder and a Charmander who is resting peacefully in his Poké Ball at the moment."

The statement shocked Misty and Brock, both looking at Ash. Ash for himself looked embarrassed. _"Busted," _Pikachu commented, taking a little pleasure in this since he had been telling Ash for a while to tell Misty and Brock about the mental links.

"That actually makes a lot of sense," Brock said after the shock wore off.

"I suggest you don't make any more," Sabrina continued. "Making more then three mental links can be dangerous to your mind. Now who shall go first?"

Misty stepped forward. "I will," Misty said, already taking out her Poké Ball.

Sabrina nodded and released an Abra. Misty let Squirtle out of his Poké Ball not long after. "Water Gun," Misty called, taking the first move and the water came out of Squirtle's mouth to be dodged easily by Abra using Teleport.

Every time Squirtle tried to attack, Abra teleported out of the way. Squirtle was getting frustrated. "Calm down. Take a deep breath and listen to me," Misty said. "I want you to use Rapid Spin along the whole field." Squirtle stood for a second taking a deep breath to calm down and then started using Rapid Spin along the battlefield. "Keep it up."

Sabrina was confused, wondering what Misty was doing since Abra continued to evade the attack using Teleport. Of course, Sabrina could find out very easily, but she didn't use her powers during battles. It would be unfair.

It was a couple of minutes later that Squirtle hit Abra with the Rapid Spin once Abra had reappeared. The hit caused Abra to fly up, unable to teleport. 'Bite, now!" Squirtle popped out of his shell, jumping up into the air and biting Abra right in the stomach. The dark type move caused a lot of damage on the tired out Abra.

"Finish it with Water Gun," Misty said when both Pokémon were on the ground. Abra was hit and then fainted.

"Very good, Misty," Sabrina said, returning her Abra. "With most trainers, both Pokémon are taken out with just Abra using Teleport. They and their Pokémon get frustrated and knock themselves out. You managed to keep your cool and keep your Pokémon calm."

"Thank you," Misty said, waiting for Sabrina to release her next Pokémon.

Sabrina took out a pokeball and released an Alakazam. "Squirtle, Rapid Spin," Misty said and Squirtle went for the attack.

"Confusion," Sabrina said and Alakazam's eyes glowed and Squirtle was lifted into the air and thrown away. "Psycho cut." A psychic beam came out and hit into Squirtle.

"Water Gun!" Misty called and Squirtle sent out a beam of water.

"Psybeam," Sabrina said and the beam came out and went right through the Water Gun and hit into Squirtle, knocking the Pokémon out.

Misty took out Squirtle's Poké Ball, returning him and mumbled a thank you to the ball. She then took out another Poké Ball and released Gyarados. Sabrina raised an eyebrow at the choice since it would be a very slow pokemon on land. It was clear Misty was going for power here.

"Dragon rRage," Misty said and Sabrina used Psybeam. The two attacks hit each other and caused an explosion cancelling both out.

"Teleport and Psycho Cut," Sabrina said and Alakazam started teleporting and using Psycho Cut the minute he appeared to attack Gyarados.

It was starting to drive Gyarados crazy. "Gyarados," Misty said as she saw Gyarados starting to go into Thrash. The sound of his trainer's voiced calmed him down. "Use Twister as a shield."

Gyarados let out a couple of twisters and they whirled around him, protecting him from the Psycho Cut and one knocked over Alakazam as he appeared. "Crunch," Misty said and Gyarados went in for a larger bite attack causing a lot of damage.

"Disable," Sabrina said not wanting that move to be able to be used again this battle. Alakazam eyes glowed and Gyarados was unable to use Crunch again for a while. "Confusion."

Alakazam eyes glowed with the attack hitting Gyarados. "Dragon Rage," Misty said and Gryarados let out the Dragon Rage and it hit Alakazam. After the two attacks were done, the two tired Pokémon stood there looking at each other, breathing heavily. For a second it looked like Gyarados was going to faint, but he fought the urge and lifted himself back up at the same time Alakazam fell.

"The winner is Misty," Sabrina's father announced as the two trainers returned their Pokémon.

"Very good," Sabrina said, taking a badge out of her pocket. "You deserve this one. It was a good battle. You came up with some very good strategies."

"Thank you," Misty said, taking the badge with a smile.

Sabrina nodded as she turned to Ash. "Give me an hour and then you can have your battle," Sabrina said and turned to walk away, her father following not long later.

The group left the gym and went to the Pokemon center where Misty dropped off Squirtle and Gyarados with Nurse Joy. The trio sat down to lunch and Brock and Misty looked at Ash. "So… metal links?" Misty started.

Ash laughed nervously as Pikachu smirked and Charmander asked to come out of his Poké Ball to eat. Ash released Charmander. "Well you see…" Ash started and then explained about Pikachu and then all the way to Charmander. "I didn't know how to tell you all this without sounding crazy."

The two looked at each other. "Okay," Brock said and Misty agreed.

"That's it? I kind of expected the Misty mallet for keeping such a large secret," Ash said.

"I would have thought you were crazy without Sabrina telling us first," Misty said. "Just.. no more secrets, okay?" Ash nodded with a smile, glad he such great friends.

Sabrina looked through her bookcase feeling her father approach from behind. "Why did you tell that boy's secret?" her father asked. "It's unlike you to tell a secret."

"He wanted it out,' Sabrina said, not even turning around to face her father as she picked out a book and gave it a look- through.

"Are you going to invite him to our school?" her father asked.

"He won't want to put his journey on hold long enough to master his abilities here," Sabrina said, knowing full well how that conversation would turn out. "I am going to give him the help I can." She still didn't look at her father.

"And what was that look?" her father asked. That time Sabrina didn't even respond, just made a noise indicating she didn't know what her father meant. "When you looked at Misty and Ash. There was a look like you were shocked. A young psychic with mental links walking in might be weird but not that uncommon for you to be shocked."

Sabrina sighed and closed the book, turning around to face her father finally. "This book is perfect to help Ash," Sabrina said, trying to change the topic but she knew from her fathers face that it was not working. "There is something forming between them."

"Between who?" her father asked.

"Ash and Misty. It's something I have never seen before. I can sense it's something good but it is also something they cannot know yet. It needs to form on its own without interference," Sabrina told her father. "Now I believe it's almost time for Ash to return for his battle. I will go check on my Pokémon with our healer." Sabrina left the room, the book she had chosen in hand, leaving her father there shocked.

Ash waked into the gym with Pikachu on his shoulder and Charmander beside him. Misty and Brock followed behind. "Well on time, I see," Sabrina said, appearing in the room not long after the trio arrived, her father not far behind.

"Yeah I'm ready," Ash said.

"I see you have your other link partner out,' Sabrina said, looking at the Charmander. Her eyes glowed and the book in her hand floated over to Ash. "For you. You need to learn more about your own powers. I believe an Abra you caught can help too, when she is better of course. Now, lets battle."

Sabrina took her spot on the battlefield and released her Abra. Ash gave a look to Pikachu who jumped off his shoulder to stand in front of him, letting a spark out of his cheek. "Quick Attack," Ash said and Pikachu ran off towards Abra who avoided it with Teleport. "Don't let it get to you. Continue Quick Attack. Run around the field and use Thunderbolt as you go."

Ash realized he was kind of copying Misty's strategy, but it had been a good idea. He used Misty's idea with his own twist to it. As Pikachu ran using his Thunderbolt the field looked like it was lighting up in electric. When Abra reappeared, he was hit. "Iron Tail," Ash ordered and Pikachu switched into Iron Tail real fast using the energy from the Quick Attack he had been doing and the Thunderbolt to deal an extra large hit.

It almost looked like Abra was down, but then he stood up and began to glow, surprising even Sabrina. When the glow was gone, Kadabra was in Abra's place. "Interesting,' Sabrina said. "Confusion." Kadabra's eyes glowed and Pikachu was lifted off the ground and hurt. When Pikachu was put down Ash could tell right away he was confused.

"Pikachu come on," Ash shouted his voice not seeming to get through to his buddy, so he tried the link. By the time Pikachu was able to fight off the confusion he had hurt himself badly.

"Psybeam,' Sabrina said before Ash could order a move or return Pikachu. The Psybeam hit and Pikachu was out.

"Pikachu!" Ash called, running to his starter and picking him up.

_"I'm sorry Ash," _Pikachu said, clearly upset.

_"You did great. Let me and Sarge take care of this for now," _Ash thought back, handing Pikachu over to Misty and getting back to his side of the battlefield, taking out Scyther's Poké Ball.

"Sarge, come on out," Ash said, throwing the Poké Ball and releasing his Scyther. "It's all up to me and you now, Sarge." Scyther turned his head and nodded at Ash ready for battle.

"Psybeam," Sabrina said and Kadabra let out a Psybeam.

"Use Razor Wind as a defense," Ash said and Scyther used the move Razor Wind to kick up a wind in front of him that blocked the Psybeam.

"Impressive," Sabrina complimented and then gave her Kadabra the order to teleport and then use Psybeam.

Kadabra teleported behind Scyther and used Psybeam. Scyther was quick and managed to dodge most of the attack but still got a little hurt. "Focus Energy and False Swipe."

Scyther used Focus Energy and then went charging at Kadabra to use False Swipe, but at the last second before the attack hit, Kadabra teleported out of the way. "Pursuit," Ash said and Scyther switched to the dark type move, finding Kadabra in his new location and hitting him with it.

"Confusion," Sabrina said and Kadabra used Confusion hurting Scyther.

"X-scissor now," Ash said, happy they had mastered the bug type move. Scyther put his arms in an x and charged at Kadabra, who didn't get away this time.

Sabrina knew Kadabra wouldn't last much longer and ordered another Psybeam. The move was weaker then normal, showing how tried Kadabra was. "Finish this off with Razor Wind," Ash said and Scyther used the Razor Wind, this time hitting Kadabra with it. Kadabra fell and fainted.

Sabrina took out her Poké Ball and returned her Kadabra and then released Alakazam. "Future sight," Sabrina said, deciding to start this way again. Alakazam used the move and Ash and Scyther prepared for an attack, but were surprised when nothing happened.

Ash shrugged, ordering a Quick attack and Slash combination. The move barely hit Alakazam though. "Razor Wind," Ash said and Scyther used his Razor Wind attack.

"Confusion," Sabrina said, and this time instead of the Confusion hitting Scyther, it was used on the Razor Wind. The wind moved away from Alakazam and formed a face in the air before hitting Scyther.

Ash knew Scyther was getting tired and had taken a lot of damage. "Use X-scissor," Ash said, knowing he had to finish this.

Scyther ran towards Alakzam who just stood there. When Scyther got really close, Sabrina said "Fire Punch now." Alakazam's fist was engulfed in flames and hit into Scyther's side at the same time the X-scissor hit Alakzam.

Ash watched as Scyther fell to the floor but then struggled his way back up, not ready to give up. "You're sure your good to go, Sarge?" Ash asked and Scyther nodded.

"Your Scyther is very determined. Unfortunately, this battle is over," Sabrina said as a wind picked up, confusing Ash since Sabrina didn't order an attack. Then a powerful psychic attack hit Scyther and that was it for the bug type pokemon. He was down.

Ash took out his Poké Ball and returned Scyther as Sabrina's father declared her the victor. It wasn't the first time Ash had lost a battle, but it was the first gym battle he had lost and it was a bad feeling.

"I look forward to a rematch," Sabrina said as her and Alakazam walked away.

Misty came up holding Pikachu. "It was a good battle. Let's get to the Pokémon Center," Misty said, knowing how Ash was feeling from her own loss to Surge and Ash nodded, the group running to the center and giving Pikachu and Scyther over to Nurse Joy.

It was about an hour later when Ash was called up to the desk and Pikachu came and jumped onto his shoulder. _"I would have had it if Abra hadn't evolved,"_ Pikachu thought to Ash and Ash smiled.

"Glad you're feeling better," Ash said, taking Scyther's Poké Ball and releasing him. "We're going to have to do some training for our rematch. Charmander, think you can help Scyther build up a defense to fire type moves?" That Fire Punch was in his mind and he knew it could cause problems since Scyther was his best pokemon for this gym.

_"I think we can work on that," _Charmander said with a smirk.

_**"I have some ideas on how to win," **_Sarge said, not surprising Pikachu and Charmander as they replied the message to Ash.

Before Ash could say more, Sabrina' father teleported in next to him, scaring him and the Pokémon. _"I wish he wouldn't do that," _Pikachu muttered, nearly having fallen off Ash's shoulder when Sabrina's father appeared.

"I came to check on your Pokémon. I see they are better," Sabrina father said, looking them over. "Your Scyther is very strong. I was very impressed he got up after that Fire Punch." Scyther lifted an arm, proud of the compliment. "Your Piakchu is also very strong, but I don't know if he is the right choice for this gym."

Pikachu gave a sour look at him. "Don't get me wrong. You had a good idea, but now Sabrina is at her strongest with Abra having finally evolved. The gym will just be harder when you get back. What other Pokémon do you have?"

Ash was a little suspicious of the question, but decided to tell him. Sabrina father shook his head when he heard this. "May I make a suggestion? You seem like the type who wants to catch a lot of Pokémon." Ash nodded. 'In Lavender Town there is this tower where ghost Pokémon live. I think you should try to catch one of those."

Before Ash could say anything else, Sabrina's father had teleported out leaving Ash with his thoughts as he returned Sarge and went back to Misty and Brock. "Something wrong?" Misty asked, sensing Ash was distracted.

"Sabrina's father just came and said something. I think I want to go to Lavender Town and catch a ghost type," Ash said, shocking the two. _"Pikachu, Charmander, you ready to help me get a new member for our team?" _Ash asked through the link.

_"Always ready, Ash," _Pikachu said, a little upset Ash wanted to switch him out for this gym battle, but always ready to help Ash any way Ash needed.

_"No ghost can get past my flames," _Charmander said, letting out a Flamethrower which hit Ash. "Oh sorry, my bad."

AN: Okay, that's an end to another chapter. Hope you enjoyed.

Ash's Pokémon(+ means still learning)

Scyther (Sarge) (M): Vacuum Wave, Quick Attack, Leer, Focus Energy, Pursuit, False Swipe, Agility, Wing Attack, Slash, Razor wind, X-Scissor, Bug Buzz+ Egg Move: Steel Wing (Locked).

Geodude (Peter) (M): Defense Curl, Tackle, Mud Sport, Rollout, Rock Throw, Magnitude. Egg move- Hammer arm (unlocked)

Pikachu (M): Thunder Shock, Thunder Wave, Quick Attack, Thunderbolt, Iron Tail, Agility, Thunder+ Egg Move: Volt Tackle (locked)

Shellder (F): Tackle, Withdraw, Icicle Shard, Razor Shell, Protect, Aurora Bean, Ice Beam. Egg Move: Water Gun (unlocked)

Nidorino (M): Leer, Peck, Focus Energy, Double Kick, Poison Sting, Drill Run, Fury Attack, Horn Attack. No egg move.

Bulbasaur (M): Tackle, Growl, Vine Whip, Poison Powder, Sleep Powder, Take Down, Razor Leaf, Sweet Scent, Growth, Double Edge and Worry Seed. Egg move: Nature Power (unlocked)

Charmander (M) : Growl, Scratch, Ember, Smokescreen, Flamethrower, Metal Claw, Fire Fang, Flame Burst. Egg move: Dragon Rush (Locked)

Krabby (Rudolph) (M): Mud Sport, Bubble, Vice Grip, Leer, Harden, Bubble Beam, Mud Shot.

Misty's Pokémon:

Staryu: Harden, Tackle, Water Gun, Rapid Spin, Recover, Bubble Beam, Gyro Ball, Camouflage. No Egg Move

Seel (M): Headbutt, Growl, Water Sport, Icy Wind, Encore, Ice Shard, Ice Beam, Drill Run. Egg Move: Signal Beam.

Goldeen (F): Peck, Tail Whip, Water Sport, Supersonic, Horn Attack, Flail, Water Pulse, Aqua Ring. Egg Move: no egg move

Gloom (F): Absorb, Sweet Scent, Acid, Poison Powder, Stun Spore, Sleep Powder, Giga Drain, Mega Drain. Egg Move: Razor Leaf(unlocked)

Squirtle (M): Tackle, Tail Whip, Water Gun, Bubble, Bite, Rapid Spin, Protect. Egg move: Aqua Jet

Gyarados (M): Tackle, Thrash, Bite, Dragon Rage, Twister, Crunch


	10. Chapter 10

A Different Path, Chapter 10

Tower Of Terror and Haunter Vs. Kadabra

**Thank you so much for all your reviews! Sorry there was such a long wait for this chapter! We'd like to send a shout-out to Myra The Dovahklin for being our hundredth reviewer.**

"Man, there's a lot of fog rolling in." Brock observed as they traveled along the wooded path to Lavendar Town. The fog was so thick, they could barely see.

"This might be an omen. Maybe we should turn back." Misty said nervously.

"No, we've come too far to turn back now. I really need to find a ghost Pokémon, plus we're nearly there. If we turn back now, we'll have to hike through more fog." Ash told her.

"Hope we get there soon. I can barely see." Misty said.

"Everyone stay close." Brock said. "It'd be easy to get lost in fog this thick."

"Let's all hold hands so we don't get separated." Ash suggested.

"_You just want to hold hands with Misty." _Pikachu teased through their bond and Ash could hear Charmander laughing. Misty slipped her hand inside Ash's and Ash blushed as he held her hand, making Charmander and Pikachu laugh harder.

"Ash, where are you? I can't see you!" Brock called from behind him.

"I'm right here." Ash called back to him.

"Where?" Brock asked, feeling blindly through the fog.

Ash sighed and held out his hand, unknowingly next to Pikachu's tail. "Right here!"

Brock saw the outline of Ash's hand. "Oh, there you are." he said with relief, reaching out to grab Ash's hand, but grabbing Pikachu's tail by mistake.

"_**YEEOOW!" **_Pikachu yelled, his Thunderbolt shocking Brock as his tail was pulled hard. Brock let out a long scream, making Misty scream as well and grab on to Ash.

"Brock, don't scream like that; you nearly scared the life out of me!" Misty yelled.

"You'd scream too if you were hit in the face by a Thunderbolt!" Brock protested.

"_Well, that's what you get for pulling my tail!" _Pikachu growled.

"Calm down, Pikachu, he didn't mean to pull your tail." Ash said, still holding onto Misty. He and Misty both realized this, blushing and letting each other go.

"_Ash and Misty, sitting in a tree, K.I.S.S.I.N.G." _Pikachu said with a grin, forgetting his pulled tail at the opportunity to tease his trainer.

Ash turned bright red. "Pikachu! Stop it!" he scolded, forgetting to think it to his partner in his embarrassment.

"What'd he say?" Misty asked curiously.

"Nothing!" Ash replied quickly, making Pikachu laugh.

Misty opened her mouth and was about to question it when Brock called out "There's Lavender Town!" The group looked out at the small town. Pokémon Tower could easily be seen, much taller than the other buildings. "Let's get there before it gets dark."

A half hour later, they arrived at Pokémon Tower. "Looks like it's always dark around this place." Misty said.

Ash nodded. "Ready to go in?"

"_No, but let's." _Pikachu said, looking a little spooked by the imposing tower.

Ash took a deep breath and pushed open the door. "Hello? Anyone home?" he called.

"Do you really want someone to answer that when we're in an old abandoned hotel?" Misty asked nervously as she stepped in with Ash.

Brock followed them in. "Wow, it's dark in here." The door slammed shut behind them.

"And now it's pitch black!" Misty cried.

"_Charmander, could you light the way, please?" _Ash thought to his partner. Charmander nodded and shot out a small, controlled Flamethrower, lighting up the room.

"Thanks, Charmander." Ash told him, looking around the dingy, creepy looking hotel room.

Brock found a candle. "Charmander, could you….." Sinister laughter echoed through the room, sounding almost female. Startled, Brock dropped the candle on his foot.

"What-What was that?" Ash asked nervously. Something brushed past him, but he couldn't see anything when he turned to look. "Who's there?"

The laughter got louder and a ghostly light filled the room. In the middle of the light, a grinning skull with scraggly gray hair atop its head grinned sinisterly at them.

"AAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH!" was Brock, Ash, Pikachu, Charmander, and Misty's very understandable response.

"GET AWAY!" Misty yelled, pulling out her mallet and swinging it at the creature. The skull dodged just in time.

"Chill out guys, it's just me! Janie, turn on the lights!" a familiar voice called and the "ghost" pulled off her mask as the lights went back on, revealing a laughing Angie holding a skull mask and Janie near a light switch, holding a camera and looking sheepish with her Ivysaur, Machoke, and her newly evolved Kadabra behind her. "Geez, your girlfriend is homicidal with that mallet." Angie told Ash.

Ash and Misty blushed deeply. "She's not my girlfriend/He's not my boyfriend!" they both yelled at the same time.

"And what was the meaning of scaring us like that?" Misty yelled.

Angie laughed. "Saw you coming up to Lavender Tower and couldn't resist. Plus, I needed some new comedy material for my website. I think I'll call it New Scares In The Old Tower."

"Well, that wasn't funny." Misty said angrily.

"Sorry." Janie said softly.

"Janie, it's fine. You don't have to apologize, it was my idea and I did it. All you did was tape it." Angie said, rolling her eyes. "I swear with that girl I need to have "It's fine and "Don't say sorry," tattooed on my arm." Angie whispered to Ash. Janie blushed as she overheard it.

Ash tried not to laugh. "So what brings you guys here?"

"Well, I want to catch a Ghost Pokémon." Angie said.

"And I'm doing a Halloween article on Lavender Tower for the magazine I'm working for, Poké Fanatics." Janie said as she snapped a few photos of the old tower.

"That's cool. I'm…." Ash was cut off by creepy laughter coming from somewhere in the tower.

"Angie, will you knock it off? You already got us!" Misty demanded, glaring at her.

"Um….that's not me." Angie said. Misty turned to look at Janie.

"It wasn't me either." Janie said, looking around warily.

"If it's not you two, then what…." Misty started, jumping as the creepy laughter started again.

"It-It's probably either Ghost Pokémon or someone trying to pull a prank and scare us." Brock said nervously.

"Well, we won't find out by standing here." Ash said. "Let's go find out what it is."

Angie nodded and made sure her camera was turned on. "It'll at least make a good video for my website."

"You know, you guys would never survive a horror movie." Janie muttered as she took hold of her Ivysaur's vines and followed Ash and Angie along with Misty and Brock.

They headed down a long hallway and made it to a huge dining room. A long table was fully set with dishes which were surprisingly clean despite the condition of the tower.

"It looks like a fancy dinner party." Misty said.

"Or maybe some sort of reception." Brock put in.

"Strange place for a reception." Angie muttered. "Though some people are ghost nuts." she added, looking teasingly at Janie.

"Hey, look at this." Ash said, looking to a string with a small sign attached.

"It says, Pull this." Misty read.

"Maybe you should pull it, Ash." Angie joked.

"No, thank you. I've seen enough horror movies to know that pulling some random string is a bad idea." Ash said.

"True." Angie said. "Though that did make for a pretty good jump scare in…."

She was cut off by Janie frantically tapping her shoulder. "Guys…." she stammered, pointing at something behind them. They turned to see a disembodied purple ghostly hand float towards the string as creepy laughter filled the room again. The hand yanked the string down and a big banner reading Welcome fell. After that, it was utter chaos. Dishes and plates began flying through the room.

"AHHH!" Brock screamed as he was sent flying on a chair. Ash caught Pikachu as he was scooped up by a plate and grabbed Charmander as he tried to shield his Pokémon with his body as he ran to help Brock alongside Misty. None of the dishes came close to actually hitting him though.

Janie's Machoke, James, grabbed a flying tray and used it as a shield against the dishes, which curiously only hit the tray. He managed to get Janie, Angie and the rest of the Pokémon out the door as Ash and Misty grabbed Brock and did the same. As soon as they left the room, the dishes landed back neatly on the table, the room looking completely untouched.

"That was close." Misty gasped as they escaped the tower.

"How do I get a ghost Pokémon now?" Ash asked himself, catching his breath.

"We just escaped a haunted tower, nearly got beaned by dishes, and you're still worried about catching a Ghost Pokémon!" Misty exclaimed incredulously.

"Well, I can't just give up. I need to figure this out." Ash said. "If I want to become a great Pokémon master, I need to overcome challenges like this. And I need a ghost Pokémon to get past Sabrina if I want to make it in the League. I'm going back in there."

"_I'll go with you." _Pikachu said, feeling his trainer's determination.

"_Me too." _Charmander said.

Brock and Misty still didn't look too sure about this. "I won't be upset if you guys don't want to come with me." Ash told them.

"Well, I can't let you get yourself killed. I'll come with you." Misty sighed.

"I'll come too." Brock said.

"So will I." Janie agreed.

"Me too, just let me get this video uploaded to Pokémon Adventures." Angie said as she downloaded the video of the haunting onto her laptop. "Hey, wait a second…..guys, check this out!"

Ash knelt down to look at her laptop, as did Misty and Brock. "What is it?"

"What's this purple thing in this shot?" Angie asked, freezing the frame.

Ash squinted. "Can you enlarge it?" Angie nodded and did as he asked. The blurry thing took on a more definite shape, a gaseous purple blob with eyes and a grin. "That looks like a Gastly!"

"Play the tape through on slow mo." Misty suggested. Angie nodded, starting the tape at the beginning. Right before the dishes began to rise, Ash noticed a clear shot of a Haunter and a Gengar. The two ghosts smirked and a ghostly energy surrounded the dishes as they began to rise, the ghosts seeming to direct where they went.

"Wow…" Misty said. "We were never dealing with real ghosts, just Ghost Pokémon!"

"And they got us good." Brock said. "Wonder why they did that."

"Either wanted to prank us or wanted to keep us out, I'm guessing." Janie said. "I read that the Gastly line is known for their mischievous nature."

"Let's go in and see for ourselves." Ash said, walking into the tower again.

"Just as long as I don't get beaned by any more dishes." Misty muttered as she followed him.

…...

The sinister laughter started again as soon as they re-entered the tower, along with loud banging on the walls, making everyone jump, despite the fact that they were expecting it.

"We know you guys are Ghost Pokémon, we saw you!" Ash called. "Please come out!"

The laughter and banging stopped completely and there was complete silence for a few minutes. "Do you think we scared them off?" Misty asked.

A cold hand suddenly tapped Ash's shoulder. "Um, something tells me no…" Ash said as he turned around slowly, finding a grinning Haunter only a few inches from his face, which nearly made him jump out of his skin.

The Haunter grinned at his expression and laughed loudly, disappearing again before suddenly reappearing at Ash's side. He bulged out his eyes and let his tongue hang far out, making a face that was creepy but also hilarious, making Ash start to laugh after the initial shock.

A towel smacked the back of his head and Ash yelped, quickly turning to see a laughing Gengar. Ash ducked as the Gengar tried to playfully smack him again. "Hey!" he protested, though he wasn't truly mad.

A Gastly appeared and they started to do some little comedy routine, whacking each other with towels and rolling pins and throwing randomly got cream pies at one another. Janie was the first to start giggling, followed by Ash.

"This is great!" Angie said happily, taping the whole thing with her video camera as Janie was doing the same thing. "It will be perfect for my comedy section."

Gengar's "ears" perked up as he heard the words, "comedy section." He saw them taping and grinned, going straight to Angie's camera and sticking his face in front of the lens, grinning before grabbing Gastly and two oranges from a fruit bowl and juggling for the camera.

"What a ham." Angie joked playfully as the Gengar ended his routine by throwing each orange into Haunter's mouth and Gastly into a surprised Janie's arms.

Ash, Misty, and Brock were watching all this with amusement when Ash suddenly felt something grab his hat from behind. Ash quickly whirled around to see Haunter grinning at him and making a funny face before zooming down the hallway, but keeping up a slow enough pace so Ash wouldn't lose sight of him.

"Hey!" Ash protested, though with no real anger, chasing the mischievous ghost, who taunted him by keeping just out of reach as it flew down the hallway.

The Haunter went into a large room and started to fly down another hallway. "I'm going to get you!" Ash called to it playfully, but tripped, falling hard to the floor. There was a loud creaking sound, and Ash looked up and saw the chandelier fall. He shoved Pikachu safely out of the way, but didn't have enough time to get himself out of the way as the chandelier fell on top of him, sparking as it did.

"ASH!"

In the other room, Misty gasped. "Ash….something's wrong….I can feel it." she yelled as she started to run, Brock, Charmander, Angie, and Janie close behind. Gengar and Gastly were ahead of her as they were faster, rushing into the room.

Haunter was laughing at the light display the chandelier had set off, then suddenly realized Ash was actually hurt. He, Gengar, and Gastly rushed to Ash's side, Gengar touching his neck to check his pulse. He sighed in relief when he felt a heartbeat. Ash was unconscious, but alive.

_**"Let me try something." **_Haunter said. He reached to Ash and literally pulled his spirit out of his body.

_**"What are you doing that for?" **_Gengar asked him in confusion.

_**"It'll keep him from feeling pain or from waking up and injuring himself more while his friends get him out from under the chandelier." **_Haunter explained. Then he grinned. **_"Plus, we can show him all the awesome things about being a ghost!"_**

…...

At the same exact moment that Haunter removed Ash's spirit, despite not seeing it or knowing about it, Misty fainted in the hallway.

Brock caught her. "Misty? Misty, wake up!" He carried Misty into the room, gasping when he saw Ash under the chandelier. He and Angie rushed to move the chandelier as Janie stayed with Misty, making sure she was okay. Charmander and Pikachu were helping the best they could, whimpering as they looked at their unconscious trainer with worry.

…...

Right before his friends had come in, Ash found himself floating near the ceiling, staring down in shock at his own body, Pikachu nuzzling it frantically. "Am…Am I dead?"

A ghostly hand tapped his shoulder and the ghostly Ash turned to see Haunter, who grinned and shook his head to Ash's question, then smacked the top of his head. "I-I got knocked out?"

Haunter nodded.

"How'd I get out of my body?"

Haunter grinned, pointed to himself, then dragged Ash towards the wall. Ash yelped and flinched, expecting a collision with the wall, but he simply passed through it just like Haunter did.

When he had opened his eyes again, he was outside the tower, above Lavender Town. It looked beautiful at night, the city lights shining. Haunter let go of his hand and flew, turning back to look at Ash to see if he was coming. Ash struggled to move for a minute before figuring out how to move his arms to propel himself through the air. He laughed with happiness as he flew. "This is awesome!"

Haunter appeared right in front of Ash with his mouth wide open, making Ash yelp. Ash couldn't stop in time and went straight through Haunter, making Haunter laugh.

"Hey!" Ash yelled playfully, trying to grab Haunter. The ghost barely managed to evade him and laughed as he flew around trees and bushes, then back into the tower, Ash close behind.

When they got back, Ash saw Misty passed out on the floor with Janie beside her and checking her over and Angie, Brock, Charmander, and Meowth near his body.

"He's got a pulse and he's breathing okay. I don't know why he won't wake up!" Brock said in a panic. "Janie, how's Misty?"

"She doesn't seem to have hit her head. Her pulse is strong and she's breathing, but she won't wake up. I'm calling 911." Janie replied, also panicked.

"Misty? Misty?" Ash called as he tried shaking his friend, only for his hands to go right through her. "I've got to get back in my body!" Haunter nodded and pulled him back to his body, gently pushing his spirit inside.

Ash opened his eyes, seeing Brock and Angie above him. "You're okay!" Brock exclaimed in relief. "You were knocked out and then Misty passed out, I think from shock." Pikachu and Charmander hugged Ash tightly.

Ash quickly went over to Misty, "Misty, are you okay? Please wake up!" he called to her.

Misty groaned and opened her eyes, sighing in relief when she saw Ash. "You're okay." she sighed in relief, hugging him tightly. She then punched his arm. "Don't you EVER scare me like that again, Ketchum!"

"Ow!" Ash complained, rubbing his arm. "I'll try not to!"

"Good." she said, hugging him again.

Ash hugged her back, relieved she was all right when a very cold set of arms joined the hug. It was Haunter, grinning at him.

Ash hugged her back, relieved she was all right. He felt Pikachu nuzzle up to him and Charmander give him a hug as well. Brock quickly joined the hug.

"Group hug!"

Haunter cheered as he joined the hug as well. Pikachu translated this to Ash, making Ash laugh.

Things soon went back to how they were before Ash had been knocked out. Gengar had handed Angie back the video camera she had set down and was currently hamming it up for the camera along with Haunter and Gastly, who joined in at times. Gastly had taken a liking to Janie and was flying around her head, getting her to chase him, both laughing happily. Haunter hung around close to Ash, grinning.

Soon, Haunter pulled the others aside and began whispering to them. All three grew mischievous grins on their faces. Haunter grabbed Ash and Misty by the hands and began to tug as Gengar did the same with Angie and Brock. Gastly, who didn't actually have hands, circled around Janie's head a few times and encouraged her to follow him.

The five kids, plus Pokémon, followed the three ghosts upstairs. Gengar opened a door, showing them a room filled with toys.

"Wow…this is awesome." Ash breathed. Haunter pushed him down onto a swing set, making him yelp in surprise.

"Look at all these toys." Misty said in awe as Angie filmed Gengar balancing on a ball. "I wonder where they got them."

"I saw this place on Most Haunted." Janie replied. "A medium said a child spirit was in here. People sent in toys to appease the spirit."

"Is there the spirit of a child in here?" Ash asked Haunter, who shrugged, then nodded with a grin and pointed at Gastly, who stuck his tongue out at him. Gengar rolled his eyes good naturedly.

The group played with the ghosts a little while longer, then Misty yawned. "We're gonna need to go soon." she told Ash. The ghosts looked sad, especially Haunter.

"Hey, Haunter, would you like to join me on my journey?" Ash asked. Haunter turned to his two friends and they began to whisper again. Haunter then nodded and went to Ash's side as Gengar walked to Angie with a grin and Gastly floated to Janie. Gengar tapped a Poke Ball on Angie's belt, getting sucked inside with no struggle.

"Awesome." Angie said with a grin to Ash. "Looks like you, me, and Janie all get Ghost Pokemon."

Ash grinned back. "This is going to be great."

The group left the tower. "Well, I guess this is where we part ways." Angie said.

"Good luck, you guys." Janie told them.

"Good luck to you both as well." Ash said.

"And make some more jerk videos." Misty joked. The trio had looked through Pokemon Adventures and found out that Pikachu zapping Gary hadn't been the only embarrassing video for the arrogant trainer. There had been several other ones, all normally caused by Gary being a jerk to Angie or Janie and their Pokemon retaliating, but one other one submitted by a viewer showing Gary losing badly to Sabrina…twice.

"Don't worry, if Gary keeps acting like a jerk while I'm filming, it will definitely happen." Angie said with a laugh. The group parted ways, happy with the time spent with their friends and their new captures.

…...

Ash sighed as he chased after Haunter….again. The ghost was not taking training seriously and had randomly ran off during every training session. He was running around pulling pranks on the people of Saffron.

"Haunter, you have to stop this!" Ash told his ghost Pokemon. "This is the third training session you've run off on!" Haunter just laughed it off.

"Haunter, I'm serious." Ash said in a firm voice. "If you're going to be part of this team, you need to start taking training seriously. There will always be time for fun and games, but you need to focus on training right now. I'm counting on you and all our teammates are counting on you. We need to be ready for the next battle with Sabrina, so you've got to stop running away." Haunter now looked ashamed and nodded. "Can I count on you?" Ash asked and Haunter nodded, following Ash back to the training area.

Over the next two days, Ash saw real progress. Now that Haunter was focused, he was proving to be very strong and also tricky in battle. Scyther was also making progress resisting fire attacks with Charmander's help and strengthening his moves. Ash was soon confident that his team would be ready to try the Psychic Gym again.

...

The morning of the third day, Ash took a deep breath as he walked through the doors of the gym. "You'll do great," Misty told him and he smiled at her support, trying to ignore the "lovebirds" jokes that Pikachu was making in his head.

It was no surprise to Ash that the psychic gym leader was waiting and had been expecting him. "Are you ready to begin?" Sabrina asked and Ash nodded. Sabrina took her place on the other side of the battlefield and let out Kadabra.

"Scyther, go!" Ash called, releasing his bug type. The referee called for the battle to start and Ash called for Scyther to use Razor Wind.

"Send it back with Psychic." Sabrina ordered calmly and Kadabra sent the sharp wind back at Scyther. Scyther managed to dodge it.

"Now get in close and use Bug Bite!" Ash called. Scyther did as he was told, rushing at Kadabra.

"Grab him with Psychic!" Sabrina ordered.

Ash had been expecting it though and had a backup plan. "Razor Wind!" he called and Scyther shot the wind at Kadabra before he could react, knocking the Psychic type back. "Now Steel Wing!"

"Light Screen!" Sabrina called and Kadabra hastily put up a Light Screen, shielding it from most of the damage, but it was still hurt a little.

"Bug Buzz!" Ash called, and Scyther released the damaging sound.

"Psybeam!" Sabrina called and the two attacks cancelled each other out.

"Now go in quick and use Bug Bite!" Ash called and Scyther zoomed in at Kadabra.

Sabrina waited until the last second and then called "Fire Punch!"

Kadabra slammed his flaming fist into Scyther, though he still had been damaged some by the Bug Bite. Scyther went flying, landing hard, and lay still for a minute.

Ash looked worried for a second until Scyther gave a subtle flap of his wings that was their signal. "X-Sicissor!" Ash called suddenly and Scyther zoomed in and hit the unprepared Kadabra with a strong X-Sicssor. "Now finish this with Night Slash!" Scyther's blades glowed violet and Kadabra was too dazed to dodge as he was hit. He then fell to the ground, fainted.

"Kadabra is unable to battle! The challenger wins this round!" the referee called.

Sabrina was amazed. "You've definitely improved and even managed to surprise me. Now let's see if you can handle Alakazam."

Ash looked to Scyther, who was panting heavily. He was about to return him, but Scyther signalled that he wanted to remain out. "Are you sure?" Ash asked and Scyther nodded and faced Alakazam.

"Scyther, Razor Wind again!" Ash called.

"Light Screen." Sabrina ordered calmly and Alakazam threw up a protective screen, blocking most of the damage. "Now Psychic!"

"Bug Buzz to make it let you go!" Ash called and Scyther released a Bug Buzz, which did hit Alakazam, but Alakazam threw him into a wall with Psychic, knocking him out.

"Scyther is unable to battle! Challenger, release your next Pokemon!" the ref called.

Ash returned Scyther. "You did great buddy. Thank you." He then released Haunter. "Come on out, Haunter!"

"Ghost types may be strong against Psychic types, but remember, Haunter is still part poison." Sabrina warned. "Alakazam, Psybeam!"

"Counter with Shadow Ball!" Ash commanded and the two attacks cancelled each other out. "Now Will o' wisp!" The attack connected with Alakazam, giving it a burn.

Sabrina knew she had to end this quickly. Alakazam, Psychic!"

Haunter was hit and hit hard, but Ash had a plan. "Payback!" he called and Haunter quickly used Payback before Alakazam could dodge. With type advantage and the power of the move being doubled due to the damage Haunter had taken from the Psychic, it was a devastating hit even with the Light Screen.

But though severely weakened, Alakazam wasn't out yet and got quickly to his feet. "Psychic again!" Sabrina called and Alakazam hit Haunter with another strong Psychic, sending the ghost type to the ground.

Ash was worried the battle was over, but Haunter suddenly disappeared into the shadows.

"Keep a close eye out, he could be anywhere." Sabrina warned and Alakazam looked around and tried to sense him with his psychic powers, but couldn't due to the fact that he was a ghost type. He started to power up another Psychic in his anxiousness and Ash saw his chance.

"Sucker Punch!" he called and Haunter appeared from behind, hitting Alakazam with a hard Sucker Punch.

Alakazam was very weak, but it looked like Haunter was about to faint as well. The two Pokemon stared at each other for a minute and then Alakazam fainted.

Sabrina recalled her beloved starter and Ash put Haunter back in his Poke Ball so he could rest. Sabrina then walked over to Ash. "That was an amazing battle. It's clear you trained your Pokemon very well and put a lot of thought into your moves. I'm proud of how much you have improved, and as proof of your victory, I present to you the Marsh Badge." She placed the badge in Ash's hand.

"Congratulations, Ash! I knew you could do it!" Misty told him as she rushed down and gave Ash a hug, making him blush, much to the laughter and teasing of his two mental partners. Sabrina just smiled knowingly.

"I know the two of you are going to do great things." Sabrina told them. "Good luck on your journey, and Ash, remember to study your book. Your Abra will help you train your psychic powers, but if you have any trouble, feel free to come back and train at the Psychic School."

Ash nodded. "If I have any problems, I definitely will. Thank you, Sabrina."

"It is no problem." Sabrina told him. Soon they said goodbye and Ash, Misty, and Brock, along with all their Pokemon, were off to their next adventure.

**Ash's Pokémon(+ means still learning)**

**Scyther (Sarge) (M): Vacuum Wave, Quick Attack, Leer, Focus Energy, Pursuit, False Swipe, Agility, Wing Attack, Slash, Razor wind, X-Scissor, Bug Buzz+ Egg Move: Steel Wing, Night Slash).**

**Geodude (Peter) (M): Defense Curl, Tackle, Mud Sport, Rollout, Rock Throw, Magnitude. Egg move- Hammer arm (unlocked)**

**Pikachu (M): Thunder Shock, Thunder Wave, Quick Attack, Thunderbolt, Iron Tail, Agility, Thunder+ Egg Move: Volt Tackle (locked)**

**Shellder (F): Tackle, Withdraw, Icicle Shard, Razor Shell, Protect, Aurora Bean, Ice Beam. Egg Move: Water Gun (unlocked)**

**Nidorino (M): Leer, Peck, Focus Energy, Double Kick, Poison Sting, Drill Run, Fury Attack, Horn Attack. No egg move.**

**Bulbasaur (M): Tackle, Growl, Vine Whip, Poison Powder, Sleep Powder, Take Down, Razor Leaf, Sweet Scent, Growth, Double Edge and Worry Seed. Egg move: Nature Power (unlocked)**

**Charmander (M) : Growl, Scratch, Ember, Smokescreen, Flamethrower, Metal Claw, Fire Fang, Flame Burst. Egg move: Dragon Rush (Locked)**

**Krabby (Rudolph) (M): Mud Sport, Bubble, Vice Grip, Leer, Harden, Bubble Beam, Mud Shot.**

**Abra(F) Teleport, Hidden Power**

**Haunter(M) : Hypnosis, Lick, Spite, Mean Look, Confuse Ray, Sucker Punch, Payback, Shadow Ball, Night Shade, Curse, Shadow Punch**

**Misty's Pokémon:**

**Staryu: Harden, Tackle, Water Gun, Rapid Spin, Recover, Bubble Beam, Gyro Ball, Camouflage. No Egg Move**

**Seel (M): Headbutt, Growl, Water Sport, Icy Wind, Encore, Ice Shard, Ice Beam, Drill Run. Egg Move: Signal Beam.**

**Goldeen (F): Peck, Tail Whip, Water Sport, Supersonic, Horn Attack, Flail, Water Pulse, Aqua Ring. Egg Move: no egg move**

**Gloom (F): Absorb, Sweet Scent, Acid, Poison Powder, Stun Spore, Sleep Powder, Giga Drain, Mega Drain. Egg Move: Razor Leaf(unlocked)**

**Squirtle (M): Tackle, Tail Whip, Water Gun, Bubble, Bite, Rapid Spin, Protect, +Zen Headbutt. Egg move: Aqua Jet**

**Gyarados (M): Tackle, Thrash, Bite, Dragon Rage, Twister, Crunch**

**Tentacool(M): Poison Sting, Constrict, Supersonic, Acid, Toxic Spikes, Water Pulse**

**Horsea(F): Bubble, Smokescreen, Leer, Water Gun**


	11. Chapter 11

A Different Path

**A Note From Dragonsrule18**

**First off, we are so, so sorry for taking a year to update! Both of us have been distracted with other things, and I've had a lot of writer's block, which caused me to procrastinate on all my stories, but this one took it the hardest. This is the last chapter that will be written by CharmedMilliE, as she has a lot of other stories on her plate right now, but she still will be helping me with ideas for this and don't worry, this story is not going to be abandoned. I will try to update much, much sooner next time. Again, I am so, so sorry for the long wait. **

**The OC Ali Winters and X are created by CharmedMilliE but also appear in Knight of Kanto's story Ash's Journey Through Hoenn. Check it out.**

Chapter 11: Primeape Goes Bananas and Erika's Gym

Ash was surprised when he found a phone and pokemon transfer device on the road. He thought he would have to wait until Celadon City to switch his pokemon. He dialed the familiar number to Oak's and waited for the professor to pick up.

"How are you doing, Ash?" Oak asked and a minute later Rudolph was by his side, blocking Oak from the screen. He was then pushed out of the way by an excited Nidorino. "As you can see, Krabby and Nidorino are doing fine." Oak appeared back on screen, pushing the pokemon out of the way.

Ash smiled at his pokemon's antics. "I hope Peter is being good," Ash said, but he knew his Geodude would never change.

"That Geodude is a handful, but Nidorino and Krabby here know how to keep him in line. They are such good helpers," Oak said. "So how did your gym battle go?"

Ash took out his badge case and showed Oak his fourth badge. "Was a hard battle, but it was worth it," Ash said with a smile. "So how is my Abra doing?"

"Better, but I still suggest you keep her here for a little while," Oak said and Ash nodded. "Do you want to make a transfer?"

"Yes I'm going to send you Sarge, my scyther, and take back Nidorino." Ash had talked it over with Sarge the day before and decided it was better to send Sarge to Oak's to help with training there. Ash had also told him to help Oak out when he could.

Nidorino seemed happy that he was coming back and Ash saw him jumping up and down but he also saw Rudolph's sad look. "Hey Rudy, better train hard. I plan on using you in the fire gym when I get there," Ash told him and saw Rudolph cheer up knowing he was going to get a gym battle.

"Well, let's make the switch," Oak said, appearing back with Nidorino's Poke Ball and returning the pokemon. Ash took out Scyther's Poke Ball and put it on the transfer device. The Poke Ball disappeared only to be replaced with another one not long later. Ash took the Poke Ball and put it on his belt as he heard Oak say, "He has arrived safely." Oak let Scyther out of the Poke Ball and the bug type held up an arm saying bye to Ash.

"Bye," Ash said with a smile and ended the call. Two second later his Poke Ball opened up and Nidorino jumped out tackling Ash as a hello. "Good to see you too." Ash said with a smile, leading Nidorino over to where Misty, Brock, Pikachu, and Charmander were eating doughnuts.

Nidorino happily said hello to his teammates and took the doughnut offered to him by Brock. _**"Brock's food is better than what we get at the ranch. Not saying the food we get there is bad; just not as good." **_Nidorino said between mouthfuls.

"It's good to see Nidorino again." Misty said as she handed Ash a doughnut. Ash sat down with it, flipping through the book Sabrina had given him as he ate.

Not long after, a Mankey came running over to them, making the group look up. "Do you want a doughnut?" Brock asked, taking the obvious guess and handing one over to the monkey Pokemon.

The Mankey took the doughnut and started to eat, then glanced over to Ash, noticing the red hat. He smiled upon seeing it and grabbed the hat right off of Ash's head, then darted up a tree with his doughnut and Ash's hat in his hands.

"My hat!" Ash groaned, reaching up to feel his now bare head. _"Pikachu, mind going and asking for it back?"_

"_Sure, no problem," _Pikachu told him while Ash took out his Pokedex to look up information on Mankey.

"_Wait, Pikachu!" _Ash then called to his starter, who was beginning to climb the tree. _"Mankey is a fighting type and we don't have a fighting type yet. Ask him if he'll join us."_

"_Okay, I'll ask." _Pikachu told him and started talking to the Mankey. _"He said he'll join you if you can beat him in a battle and give him another doughnut." _he then reported back.

"Hey, Brock, do you have any more doughnuts?" Ash asked.

"One." Brock answered and handed it over to Ash, who took it to the tree and held it out to the Mankey, who promptly jumped down, taking the doughnut and eating it.

"Ash?" Misty asked in confusion.

"Mankey wanted another doughnut and a battle before joining my team." Ash explained. "You ready to battle now?" he asked the Mankey when he noticed he was done with his second doughnut and Pikachu was back on Ash's shoulder.

Mankey shouted his name a few times and pumped his fist in the air. Ash took that to mean he was ready. "Okay." Ash told him, trying to decide who to choose. At that time, Haunter popped out of his Poke Ball and jumped behind Ash, scaring him. "Haunter, you're not taking this one." Ash told the ghost type, knowing Mankey probably didn't know any moves that would affect Haunter and wanting to give him a fair battle.

Before Charmander could offer to battle, Nidorino ran out in front of Ash. "You want it?" Ash asked and Nidorino nodded. "Okay then." He took out his Pokedex to see if Nidorino had learned any new moves and saw that he had learned Helping Hand and Toxic Spikes.

Ash noticed that Charmander seemed disappointed. _"Remember, you have a gym battle coming up." _Ash reminded the Pokemon, who was quick to cheer up. He then called to Nidorino, "Start it off with Drill run!"

Nidorino went charging towards Mankey, but Mankey dodged it by jumping into the air. The Mankey then used a Low Kick. "Shake it off and use Horn Drill while he's close!" Ash told Nidorino, who reacted immediately and rammed his horn into Mankey's side.

Mankey went to hit Nidorino with a Karate Chop, but Nidorino dodged and Ash ordered a Poison Sting, which sent Mankey down on one knee. Ash figured that was it and didn't want to hurt Mankey too badly, so he threw a Poke Ball. Mankey went into it, but the ball shook only once before Mankey popped out again.

As Mankey popped out, his body began to glow and he evolved into a Primeape. The newly evolved Primeape picked up Nidorino and threw him using Seismic Toss. Nidorino landed hard, but got to his feet and nodded to Ash to show that he was okay. Ash smiled. 'Focus Energy and Drill Run!" he called and Nidorino used Focus Energy to power up before charging into Primeape, hitting the Pokemon. But Primeape wasn't out yet and hit back with a Karate Chop, which did hit, but Ash ordered a Double Kick, which hit Primeape twice and the Pig Monkey Pokemon was down.

Ash then threw a Poke Ball again and this time it shook three times before clicking shut and transporting to the lab. "Yes! I caught a Primeape!" Ash cheered.

"You realize Primeape is still wearing your hat, right?" Misty reminded him and Ash touched the top of his head, realizing his favorite hat was still missing and that he had never remembered to get it back from Primeape.

"I think I need to buy more hats…" Ash sighed, rubbing his head and then treating Nidorino with a potion before returning the Poison Pokemon to his ball to rest, thanking him for the hard battle.

…

Oak had taken a very quick liking to Ash's Scyther. The first thing Scyther did after they got off the phone with Ash was to have a talk with Rudolph and then was off. It wasn't long before Oak saw Scyther giving a talk to Ash's Geodude and then seemingly giving him his marching orders. The Rock Type had been training ever since Scyther's talk.

Scyther had also put a few of Gary's more troublesome Pokemon straight. Oak smiled, thinking things would be running smoothly at the lab now. That was when he heard the ding signaling a new Pokemon was incoming. "Let's see who that is, Rudolph." Oak said, having heard Ash use that nickname for the Pokemon and noticing the Krabby seemed to like it.

Oak looked at the monitor. "Oh, this is from Ash." he said in surprise and excitement, thinking it was from Gary, who seemed to throw a Poke Ball at every Pokemon he saw, or Angie, who wasn't catching quite as many as Gary, but was still catching a good amount.

Oak opened the Poke Ball without checking first to see what the Pokemon was. He was surprised to see a Primeape wearing Ash's red hat, but was even more surprised when he ended up on the floor with the Primeape punching him.

Rudolph acted fast, throwing a Bubble Beam to knock the Primeape over and off the professor. _**"Do not attack the professor again." **_he growled, but then paused as the Primeape got up, looking around in complete confusion.

"_**Well, the kid actually caught me. I was not expecting that." **_Primeape said, playing with the hat. _**"Guess I underestimated him. Maybe he'll be a worthy trainer."**_

"_**Our trainer is very good." **_Rudolph told him. _**"Welcome to the team. One question though. Why do you have our trainer's hat?"**_

Primeape smiled as he threw the hat in the air and let it land on his head. _**"I like it." **_was all he said.

…(Back with Ash and the gang)….

Ash, along with the rest of his group, arrived in Celadon City. That was when Ash noticed a clothing store. He really felt weird without his hat. "Guys, I'm going to buy a couple more hats." he told his friends.

"Okay, maybe we'll look around as well." Misty said as she noticed Brock had run off, probably after some girl. "And let me go stop Brock from ending up in a trash can again." Ash laughed at that as he ran into the store, found their hats, and began trying them on.

"_What do you guys think?" _Ash asked his two mentally bonded Pokemon.

"_The red one and the blue one look good." _Charmander said lazily, not caring all that much about hats.

"_You should get the yellow one too." _Pikachu advised.

Ash picked up the red hat which had a flame design on it, the blue one with a water drop, and the yellow one which had a thunderbolt. He then picked up a white hat that had a fist on it, hoping when he saw Primeape again he could trade back for his other hat. Then the other three could be just in case he got other pokemon who liked his hat.

Ash quickly paid for the four hats and put the red one on. The others were easily able to fit inside his backpack. As he was walking out, he saw a stone shop. Ash paused, knowing his Shellder was ready for evolution and the only way was to get a Water Stone.

Ash walked into the store. "Hello," he said to the girl behind the counter. "Do you have any water stones?"

"We have one left." the girl said, going to the case and taking it out.

"This is the only one?" Ash asked. If there had been more than one, he would have bought one for Misty.

"Yes, but we should get more the next week." the girl told him. "Do you want it?" Ash nodded and paid for the stone, putting it in his pocket when she handed it to him.

Then Ash went to go look for Misty and Brock and found them in front of a perfume shop. Brock was staring with a dazed, giddy expression at the pretty salesgirls and Misty was trying out some perfume. Ash walked. "Hey guys, I got what I was looking for…" he started but was cut off as Charmander sneezed, hitting him in the face with a Flamethrower. "What the…why?"

"_Sorry, Ash. I think I'm allergic to…" _Charmander's thoughts were cut off as he sneezed again, hitting Ash once again.

Ash took out Charmander's Poke Ball and returned him before Charmander burnt him to a crisp. _"Sorry, buddy. I don't need any more flamethrowers to the face." _he thought to him and heard Charmander laugh.

Misty was giggling at what happened, but the workers of the shop did not look amused. "What do you think of this one, Ash?" Misty asked, spraying the perfume sample at Ash who coughed in response.

"To tell you the truth, Misty, I think it's a waste of money." Ash admitted. "I mean, we're on a journey. You'll never have the opportunity to use it and there's a high probability of it breaking in your bag. It's useless, just expensive smelly water and we should really be saving up our money for ourselves and our Pokemon's benefit."

Misty found herself agreeing with Ash, but before she could say anything, the manager came out and started being rude to Ash. "Hey!" Misty said, standing up. "There's no need for that; I asked him for an opinion and he gave it to me and I find myself agreeing with him."

"Well then, you can all leave." the manager growled and had her employees throw them all out, including a dreamy Brock who didn't seem to know what was going on.

Misty was fuming, a scowl on her face. "Misty, if we're ever in a situation where perfume would be needed, I'll buy you a bottle from whatever company is this one's competition." Ash told her.

"Yeah, those people. I can't believe I almost bought from them." Misty complained, hitting Brock over the head to snap him out of his trance.

"Well, before we go to the gym, why don't we do something that will calm us all down." Ash said, taking the water stone out of his pocket, making Brock, Misty, and Pikachu look at him. "Who wants to see if Shellder wants to evolve?"

Misty was looking at the water stone, stunned. "Where did you get that?"

"There's a stone shop over this way, but this was the last stone they had. They said they'd get more in this week." Ash told Misty, who nodded.

The group went and found a quiet spot near the water where Ash released Shellder and let Charmander back out now that they were far enough away from the perfume. Shellder cooed as Ash pet her. "Shellder, I got this for you." Ash said, holding up the water stone. "If you don't want to evolve, you don't have to, but it's here if you want it."

Shellder started talking excitedly. _"She wants to evolve." _Pikachu translated.

"You sure? There's no going back after this." Ash told her, but Shellder was sure, so Ash touched the stone to her head.

Shellder started lighting up right away and not long after, she was a Cloyster. The first thing Cloyster did was jump into Ash's arms and Ash had problems catching her. "You're getting a bit big for this now, Shel…I mean Cloyster." Cloyster cooed in his arms.

"That's awesome." Misty said as she gave Cloyster a pet and so did Brock. The group spent some time playing with Cloyster before returning the newly evolved Pokemon and deciding to head to the gym.

When they entered there, there were a couple of girls at the front desk. "We'd like to challenge the gym leader." Ash said.

"No." the girl replied, confusing them.

"Is she not here?" Misty asked.

"No, we just don't let anyone who thinks perfume is a waste of money inside the gym." the girl told them with a glare.

Ash looked even more confused. "How do you know what we said inside a store?"

"Because we supply the perfume for the store and you are banned!" the girl said angrily. She was about to hit Ash and Misty with a red X stamp, but Pikachu shocked her before she could.

"That's not allowed." Misty retorted. "A gym leader has to accept every challenge before them and people cannot be kicked out of the gym for a personal opinion."

"What are you going to do about it?" the girl asked with a smirk.

"We'll call the league." Brock said.

She snorted. "Good luck getting in touch with the League. You'll be on hold for a year."

Misty just smirked. "Oh, we didn't introduce ourselves. How forgetful of us. I'm Misty Waterflower from the Cerulean Gym."

"And I'm Brock Slate of the Pewter City gym. I think we can get people on the phone pretty fast." Brock added.

The girl looked to her friend, who nodded. "She's with another challenger at the moment, but follow me." she said reluctantly, leading the group to the battlefield where the person they recognized as the manager of the shop and a dark haired, blue eyed girl wearing jeans, a white T-shirt, and a black jacket were battling. They watched as the girl's fire monkey Pokemon easily took out Erika's Gloom.

"The winner is Ali Winters." the referee announced as the girl returned her Pokemon and took her badge.

The gym leader glared at Ash, Misty, and Brock. "I thought I told you not to let them in." she growled at her employees, who then went to talk to her.

Ali walked up to the group. "Let me guess; you said something against her perfume?" she asked and the group nodded. Ali laughed. "Next time, check out the gym online before coming. They have a reputation for this."

"What Pokemon were you using?" Ash asked curiously, having never seen the fire monkey Pokemon before.

"Infernape." she said simply.

"Erika!" they heard and turned to see another girl come running out. "Robbers just tried to steal our perfume formula. It was a female, a male, and a Meowth."

"Team Rocket." Ash, Misty, and Brock mumbled together.

"We kicked them out." the girl added as Ali mumbled a goodbye and left.

Erika came up to the group. "Give me a half hour and I'll battle you. Don't expect to win." she said before going in the back. Normally the trio would wait in the Pokemon Center, but decided not to chance it and waited in the stands.

-Team Rocket-

Jessie, James and Meowth were hanging from a tree, yelling at each other when a Gengar came and knocked them out of the tree, then brought them to a dark corner where a girl wearing a black suit and a black mask was waiting. "I heard you wanted the perfume formulas." the girl said and her voice came out robotic like she was using a voice changer.

"What's it to you?" Jessie asked.

"I can get it. For a price." the girl told them.

"And who would you be?" Meowth asked.

"X." she said.

"Huddle." James whispered to his group and the three Rocket members walked a short distance away to chat. "I've heard of her." James whispered so she couldn't hear him. She's a good thief. She costs a lot though."

"And we've got no money." Meowth reminded them.

"Don't worry about that." Jessie whispered, then went back to X. "We're in." X handed her a card with a price on it.

"I expect that in full when I get you your product." X said and then her and her Gengar disappeared.

-Ash's group-

Erika arrived back a half hour later. "Who first?" she asked and Ash stood up. She smirked and sent out a Tangela. "I'll show you my power."

"Pikachu." Ash said simply and his starter jumped off his shoulder and onto the battlefield. Ash hadn't planned on using Pikachu here originally, but Pikachu had begged since losing to Sabrina and being replaced by Haunter in the next round.

"Vine Whip!" Erika called and Tangela released a vine to hit Pikachu.

"Use Quick Attack to dodge." Ash told Pikachu, who ran off fast, avoiding the vines. "Thunderbolt." Pikachu shot off the powerful bolt of electricity, hitting Tangela. "Iron Tail!" Pikachu leapt into the air, his tail glowing. Erika called out for her Tangela to use an Absorb, but Pikachu struck before Tangela could use it. Tangela fainted.

Pikachu stepped back, shocked he had won so fast. _"That was too easy."_

"Return, Pikachu!" Ash called and Pikachu jumped back on his shoulder.

Erika released a Weepinbell as Ash released Bulbasaur. "Use Nature Power." Ash said and Bulbasaur released his Nature Power, which turned into Tri Attack, dealing a lot of damage.

Erika called for Weepinbell to use Razor Leaf. "Take Down!" Ash called to Bulbasaur, who ran through the Razor Leaf and right into Weepinbell, knocking it out. Bulbasaur gave Ash a look, not believing a gym leader's Pokemon could taken down that easily.

Erika glared. "You may be a good battler, but you cannot win because I have one thing you do not! Empathy with my Pokemon!" Charmander's tail flame grew larger as he got mad.

"_Ash." _Charmander thought to his trainer.

That one word was all Ash needed to know what his fire type wanted. _"Yeah, you're up." _he thought back and Charmander ran onto the field as Erika released Gloom.

"Gloom." Erika said simply and Gloom knew what she wanted; releasing her worst smell onto the field to make Charmander sick.

As Charmander smelled it, he had to sneeze, and as he sneezed, a huge burst of fire came out, much larger than the sneeze Flamethrowers he had hit Ash with, and in fact, even bigger than the normal Flamethrowers he threw out. This massive Flamethrower hit Gloom and Gloom was done.

"_You're allergic to Gloom?" _Ash asked, shocked. _"But you've been near Misty's Gloom a lot with no problems."_

"_Misty's Gloom never made that smell." _Charmander told him, rubbing his nose and his watering eyes in annoyance as Erika practically threw the badge at Ash. _"I demand another battle. A better battle." _Ash just nodded as he caught his badge and placed it in his badge case and Erika walked away to heal her Pokemon for Misty's battle.

"Was it me or was that a little too easy?" Ash asked his friend. After his battle with Sabrina, he had expected the gyms to get more challenging, but this must have been the easiest gym yet.

Misty nodded, not believing how easily the gym leader was defeated. The only ones worse were probably her sisters. The group waited until Misty could have her battle with only Ash running out to drop off his Pokemon at the Pokemon Center just in case they did get injured. He got back right in time for Misty's battle with a smirk on his face.

Misty's first choice was her Gloom while Erika used her Tangela again. The battle was a lot harder than Erika's battle with Gloom and Tangela getting in good punches. It ended when Erika had her Tangela use Sleep Powder to send Gloom to sleep, allowing Tangela to knock Gloom out.

"_That was an ugly trick." _Charmander, who refused to go to the Pokemon Center because he hadn't even taken a hit, muttered.

"_It's legal." _Ash told him.

"Seems like your battle lit a fire under Erika." Brock told Ash as Misty returned Gloom and released Squirtle.

"Zen Headbutt!" Misty called to Squirtle and Squirtle ran into Tangela with Zen Headbutt, knocking it out.

"I didn't know Squirtle mastered that move." Ash said as Erika returned Tangela and released Weepinbell.

Erika tried to use Sleep Powder again but Misty was ready for that this time and managed to avoid it by using Bubble Beam as a shield. The battle with Weepinbell was fierce and Squirtle got tired, so Misty returned him and sent out Seel, who knocked out Weepinbell with an Icy Wind.

Erika then released her Gloom who tried to release that bad smell again to knock Seel out, but it didn't seem to bother Seel at all. "Ice Beam on the ground!" Misty called and Seel covered the field with ice.

Gloom kept on slipping on the ground, but Seel was able to surf across the ice. Gloom got one or two hits in with Absorb and Acid, and Seel used Headbutt and Drill Run, which was intensified by sliding on the ice. Misty then had Seel use an Icy Wind, which knocked Gloom out. As Gloom was knocked out, Seel started to glow. A minute later, he was a Dewgong, much to Misty's excitement. She ran onto the ice, slipping and sliding over to hug her Pokemon.

Erika reluctantly gave her the badge. "Now please get out of my gym before…"

"Erika, it's gone!" a girl cried, running out from the back room. "Someone stole all our perfume formulas and perfume samples; I don't know how!"

It wasn't long later that Officer Jenny was called in and the group had to give a statement as they were in the gym at the time of the theft.

They were let go after that and headed to the Pokemon Center to pick up Ash's Pokemon and drop off Misty's. As they were leaving, they saw another boy getting kicked out of the gym for not liking perfume.

"What they are doing is wrong." Misty said later at the Pokemon Center after they helped the hapless kid get into the gym. "We should call up the Pokemon League anyway."

"We don't have to." Ash told them, making the other two look at him in confusion. "Well, let's just say I know for a fact Angie doesn't like perfume. In fact, she claims she's a bit allergic to it since it makes her sneeze."

"_She can join the club." _Charmander mumbled.

"Anyway, I knew she was ahead of us, so while we were waiting for Erika to heal up her Pokemon, I checked her website. Jerk Gets Zapped is still her number one video, but she has another video trending. Kicked Out. Erika didn't let her battle in this gym. The gym leader didn't realize she was taping and let's just say the comments on this gym are worse than the ones for your sisters. It's actually got the League's attention. They're sending someone out according to their comment." Ash said with a smirk and Misty and Brock laughed as well.

When Misty got her Pokemon back, the group decided to get a room for the night and continue their journey tomorrow. "Hey, Ash?" Misty whispered later that night, waking her friend up. "You know, if Erika had been a better gym leader, it could have been a real problem for me." Ash made an agreeing noise and nodded, still half asleep. "So I was thinking about different ways to fight grass types and I realized Gyarados could learn Flamethrower."

"Seriously?" Ash asked, a little shocked about that.

"Seriously, but only by TM, so I would need a TM machine and the TM, but they are expensive. Was wondering if you wanted to go halves on it. It could be useful for you too."

"Sure, we'll pick it up tomorrow." Ash said. "Now let me sleep."

...

Team Rocket went to go meet with X at the planned location. X held up a box. "All the formulas and samples," X said handing it over. 'Now my money."

"Right, hold on a minute," Jessie said, going into her pocket and then taking something out and throwing it on the floor, creating a smoke screen they used to get to their balloon and escape.

The group was laughing as they left, but X took out a controller and pushed a button. The box she gave Team Rocket exploded, causing their balloon to pop and them to fly off yelling "We're blasting off again!"

"No one cheats me," X said, walking away.

**We hope you enjoyed this chapter and didn't mind us making Erika a terrible gym leader. We both thought she was pretty bad after watching the anime. Please leave us a review and let us know what you think!**

**Ash's Pokemon: (+ means still learning)**

**Scyther(Sarge)(M)- Vacuum Wave, Quick Attack, Leer, Focus Energy, Pursuit, False Swipe, Agility, Wing Attack, Slash, Razor Wind, X-Scissor, Bug Buzz+ Egg Moves: Steel Wing, Night Slash**

**Geodude(Peter)(M) Defense Curl, Tackle, Mud Sport, Rollout, Rock Throw, Magnitude. Egg Move-Hammer Arm(Unlocked)**

**Pikachu(M) Thunder Shock, Thunder Wave, Quick Attack, Thunderbolt, Iron Tail, Agility, Thunder.+ Egg Move: Volt Tackle(Locked)**

**Cloyster(F)- Tackle, Withdraw, Icicle Shard, Razor Shell, Protect, Aurora Beam, Ice Beam. Egg move: Water Gun(Unlocked)**

**Nidorino(M) Leer, Peck, Focus Energy, Double Kick, Poison Sting, Drill Run, Fury Attack, Horn Drill, Helping Hand, Toxic Spikes. No egg move.**

**Bulbasaur(M): Tackle, Growl, Vine Whip, Poison Powder, Sleep Powder, Take Down, Razor Leaf, Sweet Scent, Growth, Double Edge, Worry Seed. Egg Move-Nature Power(Unlocked)**

**Charmander(M) Growl, Scratch, Ember, Smokescreen, Flamethrower, Metal Claw, Fire Fang, Flame Burst. Egg Move: Dragon Rush(Locked)**

**Krabby(Rudolph)(M): Mud Sport, Bubble, Vice Grip, Leer, Harden, Bubble Beam, Mud Shot.**

**Abra(F): Teleport, Hidden Power**

**Haunter(M): Hypnosis, Lick, Spite, Mean Look, Confuse Ray, Sucker Punch, Payback, Shadow Ball, Night Shade, Curse, Shadow Punch**

**Primeape(M): Scratch, Fury Swipes, Low Kick, Karate Chop, Seismic Toss**

**Misty's Pokemon**

**Staryu: Harden, Tackle, Water Gun, Rapid Spin, Recover, Bubble Beam, Gyro Ball, Camouflage. No Egg Move.**

**Dewgong(M): Headbutt, Growl, Water Sport, Icy Wind, Encore, Ice Shard, Ice Beam, Drill Run. Egg Move: Signal Beam.**

**Goldeen(F): Peck, Tail Whip, Water Sport, Supersonic, Horn Attack, Flail, Water Pulse, Aqua Ring.**

**Gloom(F): Absorb, Sweet Scent, Acid, Poison Powder, Stun Spore, Sleep Powder, Giga Drain, Mega Drain. Egg Move: Razor Leaf(Unlocked.)**

**Squirtle(M): Tackle, Tail Whip, Water Gun, Rapid Spin, Bubble, Bite, Protect, Zen Headbutt. Egg Move: Aqua Jet.**

**Gyarados: Tackle, Thrash, Bite, Dragon Rage, Twister, Crunch.**

**Tentacool(M): Poison Sting, Constrict, Supersonic, Acid, Toxic Spikes, Water Pulse.**

**Horsea: Bubble, Smokescreen, Leer, Water Gun. **


End file.
